Energy TermsRSS

Energy Terms

The geographical direction that the primary or largest exterior wall of a building faces.

A heat exchanger element enclosed in a boiler. Water is circulated with a pump through the jacket where it picks up heat from the combustion chamber after which the heated water circulates to heat distribution devices. A water jacket is also an enclosed w ...

A type of (geothermal) heat pump that uses well (ground) or surface water as a heat source. Water has a more stable seasonal temperature than air thus making for a more efficient heat source.

A turbine that uses water pressure to rotate its blades; the primary types are the Pelton wheel, for high heads (pressure); the Francis turbine, for low to medium heads; and the Kaplan for a wide range of heads. Primarily used to power an electric generat ...

An interior wall made of water filled containers for absorbing and storing solar energy.

A wheel that is designed to use the weight and/or force of moving water to turn it, primarily to operate machinery or grind grain.

The rate of energy transfer equivalent to one ampere under an electrical pressure of one volt. One watt equals 1/746 horsepower, or one joule per second. It is the product of Voltage and Current (amperage).

A unit of electricity consumption of one Watt over the period of one hour.

A device for measuring power consumption.

The shape of the phase power at a certain frequency and amplitude.

The concept of capturing and converting the energy available in the motion of ocean waves to energy.

The distance between similar points on successive waves.

Caulking and weatherstripping to reduce air infiltration and exfiltration into/out of a building.

A material used to seal gaps around windows and exterior doors.

The process of transmitting electricity over one or more separately owned electric transmission and distribution systems. (See Wholesale and Retail Wheeling.)

A mechanical/electrical device used to pull air out of an interior space; usually located in the highest location of a building, in the ceiling, and venting to the attic or directly to the outside.

The wheeling of electric power in amounts and at prices that generally have been negotiated in longterm contracts between the generator and a distributor or very large consumer of power.

Energy available from the movement of the wind across a landscape caused by the heating of the atmosphere, earth, and oceans by the sun.

An apparatus for converting the energy available in the wind to mechanical energy that can be used to power machinery (grain mills, water pumps) and to operate an electrical generator.

A WECS designed to produce electricity.