A device used to interrupt or break an electrical circuit when an overload condition exists; usually installed in the positive circuit; used to protect electrical equipment.

A type of power generating facility that pumps water to a storage reservoir during off-peak periods, and uses the stored water (by allowing it to fall through a hydro turbine) to generate power during peak periods. The pumping energy is typically supplied ...

A registered trademark for a cholorflourocarbon (CFC) gas that is highly stable and that has been historically used as a refrigerant.

A popular term used for a length of wood or steel used in or for wall framing.

A slab floor that sits directly on top of the surrounding ground.

A company that specializes in undertaking energy efficiency measures under a contractual arrangement whereby the ESCo shares the value of energy savings with their customer.

An electric motor rated at less than one horse power (hp).

An energy saving device in a heat pump that, during the cooling cycle, recycles some of the waste heat from the house to heat domestic water.

The sum of the sensible and latent heat in a substance or fluid above a base point, usually 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

A federal government agency involved in rural development, marketing and regulatory programs, food safety, research, education and economics, food, nutrition and consumer service, farm and foreign agricultural services, and natural resources and environme ...

A type of insulation made from virgin basalt, an igneous rock, and spun into loose fill or a batt. It is fire resistant and helps with soundproofing.

A device for removing heat from a gas or liquid stream for air conditioning/cooling.

A liquid byproduct of wood combustion (or distillation) that condenses on the internal surfaces of vents and chimneys, which if not removed regularly, can corrode the surfaces and fuel a chimney fire.

One horsepower provided over one hour; equal to 0.745 kilowatt-hour or 2,545 Btu.

The smallest self-contained, environmentally protected structure housing interconnected photovoltaic cells and providing a single dc electrical output; also called a panel.

In reference to a wind energy conversion device, the area through which the rotor blades spin, as seen when directly facing the center of the rotor blades.

The ratio of chemical substances necessary for a reaction to occur completely.

A window located high in a wall near the eaves that allows daylight into a building interior, and may be used for ventilation and solar heat gain.

The temperature to which air must be cooled, at constant pressure and water vapor content, in order for saturation or condensation to occur; the temperature at which the saturation pressure is the same as the existing vapor pressure; also called saturatio ...

Air with a weight of 0.075 pounds per cubic foot with an equivalent density of dry air at a temperature of 86 degrees Fahrenheit and standard barometric pressure of 29.92 inches of mercury.