A column of burning combustion gases that are so hot and strong that the heat is lost up the chimney before it can be transferred to the house. A draft brings air to the fire to help keep it burning.

The unit of magnetic field intensity equal to 1 dyne per unit pole.

A device that measures the intensity of direct beam solar radiation.

A means to increase the thermal efficiency of a steam electric generating system by converting some waste heat from the condenser into electricity. The heat engine in a bottoming cycle would be a condensing turbine similar in principle to a steam turbine ...

A light source composed of a metal base, a glass tube filled with an inert gas or a vapor, and base pins to attach to a fixture.

A group of organic compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; a series of molecules composed of a hydrocarbon plus a hydroxyl group; includes methanol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol and others.

The production of an electric current in a conductor by the variation of a magnetic field in its vicinity.

The unit of illuminance equivalent to 1lumen per square meter.

As defined in the Energy Security Act (P.L. 96-294; 1980) as "any organic matter, including sewage, sewage sludge, and industrial or commercial waste, and mixtures of such matter and inorganic refuse from any publicly or privately operated municipal waste ...

The housing around a motor that supports the active parts and protects them. They come in different varieties (open, protected) depending on the degree of protection required.

A type of heat pump that uses sealed horizontal or vertical pipes, buried in the ground, as heat exchangers through which a fluid is circulated to transfer heat.

The maximum possible voltage across a photovoltaic cell; the voltage across the cell in sunlight when no current is flowing.

Houses that have earth berms around exterior walls.

Generation of energy at the location where all or most of it will be used.

The pressure of the steam or water in a boiler as measured; usually expressed in pounds per square inch gauge (psig).

A term used for a wind energy conversion device that produces electricity; typically having one, two, or three blades.

A heat absorbing reaction or a reaction that requires heat.

The heat absorbed or released when a substance undergoes a change in temperature.

Those elements of building used to control the interior climate.

The wind speed and direction in an undisturbed flow.