Glossary
Acronyms and Initialisms
Technology Descriptions
Residential Space Heating
Residential Space Cooling
Residential Water Heating
Commercial Space Cooling
Commercial Space Heating
Commercial Refrigeration
Lighting
Building Descriptions
Commercial
Residential
Acronyms and Initialisms
AAMA - American Architectural Manufacturers Association
| ACEEE - American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
| AEO - EIA's Annual Energy Outlook
| AFEAS - Alternative Fluorocarbons Environmental Acceptability Study
| AFUE - Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency
| AHAM - Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers
| ARI - Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute
| ASHRAE - American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers
| BTS - DOE's Office of Building Technology, State and Community Programs
| CBECS - EIA's Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey
| CDD - Cooling Degree Days
| CF - Cubic feet
| CFC - Chlorofluorocarbon
| CHP - Combined Heat and Power
| CO - Carbon monoxide
| CO2 - Carbon dioxide (CO2 )
| COP - Coefficient of Performance (dimensionless, heating/cooling capacity: (Btu) over electric input (Btu))
| CPS - Bureau of the Census' Current Population Survey
| Delivered - Refers to energy used on site (including purchased electricity)
| DG - Distributed Generation
| DOC - U.S. Department of Commerce
| DOE - U.S. Department of Energy
| EER - Energy Efficiency Ratio (Btu/watt-hour)
| EERE - DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office
| EF - Energy Factor
| EIA - DOE's Energy Information Administration
| EPA - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
| FEMP - DOE's Federal Energy Management Program
| FT2 - Square Feet
| FY - Fiscal Year
| GAMA - Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association
| GDP - Gross Domestic Product
| GHP - Geothermal Heat Pump
| GWP - Global Warming Potential
| HCFC - Hydrochlorofluorocarbon
| HFC - Hydrofluorocarbon
| HHS - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
| HSPF - Heating Season Performance Factor (Btu/watt-hour)
| HUD - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
| HVAC/R - Heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning/refrigeration
| IEA - International Energy Agency
| LBNL - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
| LIHEAP - HHS' Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
| LPG - Liquid Petroleum Gas
| MEF - Modified Energy Factor
| MMTCE - Million metric tons of carbon equivalent (includes only energy consumption effects, unless otherwise noted)
| N.A. - Not Available
| N/A - Not Applicable
| NAHB - National Association of Home Builders
| NCES - National Center for Educational Statistics
| NEMS - National Energy Modeling System
| NIST - National Institute of Standards and Technology
| NOx - Nitrogen oxide (NOx )
| NWWDA - National Wood Window and Door Association
| OBE - BTS's Office of Building Equipment
| OBT - DOE's Office of Building Technology, State and Community Programs (formerly the Office of Building Technologies)
| ODP - Ozone Depletion Potential
| ORNL - Oak Ridge National Laboratory
| OWIP - Office of Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program
| PM-10 - Particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter less than 10 microns
| PM-2.5 - Particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 microns
| PNNL - Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
| Primary - Refers to energy used at the source (including fuel input to electric power plants)
| PV - Photovoltaic
| PY - Program Year
| Quad - Quadrillion Btu (10^15 Btu)
| R-value - Thermal resistance measured in (Btu/Hr-SF-oF)-1
| RECS - EIA's Residential Energy Consumption Survey
| SEDS - State Energy Data System
| SEER - Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (Btu/watt-hour)
| SEF - Solar Energy Factor
| SF - Square feet
| SHGC - Solar heat gain coefficient
| SIC - Standard Industrial Classification
| Site - Refers to energy used on site (i.e., delivered)
| SO2 - Sulfur dioxide (SO2 )
| SRCC - Solar Rating and Certification Corporation
| U-Factor - Thermal conductance measured in (Btu/Hr-SF-oF)
| VOC - Volatile organic compounds
|
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Technology Descriptions
Residential Space Heating
Technology |
Definition |
Efficiency Parameter |
Heat Pump (Air Source) |
An air source heat pump moves, or “pumps”, heat from outside air and uses this heat to provide hot water or household heating. |
Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) |
Central Warm Air Furnace |
A type of space-heating equipment with an enclosed chamber where fuel is burned or electrical resistance is used to heat air directly without steam or hot water. The heated air is then distributed throughout a building via air ducts. |
Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE)
|
Steam or Hot Water Systems with Radiators |
A heating system for the home that uses a boiler convert water into steam. The steam is passed through radiators throughout the home, providing heat. |
AFUE
|
Floor or Wall Furnace |
Space-heating equipment consisting of a ductless combustor or resistance unit, having an enclosed chamber where fuel is burned or where electrical-resistance heat is generated to warm the rooms of a building. |
AFUE
|
Heating Stove
Pellet Stove |
A stove that burns compressed wood or biomass pellets to create a source of heat for residential spaces. |
Combustion Efficiency
|
Geothermal Heat Pump |
A central heating (and/or cooling system) that “pumps” heat from the ground for use as household heating. |
COP
|
Portable Electric Heater |
An appliance that converts electrical energy through an electrical resistor into heat. |
|
Residential Space Cooling
Technology |
Definition |
Efficiency Parameter |
Central Air Conditioner |
A type of cooling equipment in which there are four basic parts: (1) a condensing unit, (2) a cooling coil, (3) ductwork, and (4) a control mechanism, such as a thermostat. |
Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER)
Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) |
Window/Wall Air Conditioner |
A room air conditioner transfers heat from the inside of a building to the outside, and delivers cooled and/or dehumidified air to single rooms and smaller areas. |
EER
|
Heat Pump (Air Source) |
A heat pump used for cooling moves, or “pumps”, heat from the indoor environment and rejects the heat to the outdoor environment. |
SEER
EER |
Geothermal Heat Pump |
A central heating (and/or cooling system) that “pumps” heat from the ground for use as household heating. |
EER
|
Swamp Cooler
Evaporative Cooler |
A type of cooling equipment that turns air into moist, cool air by spraying cool water into ducts and cooling the air as the spray evaporates. |
|
Residential Water Heating
Technology |
Definition |
Efficiency Parameter |
Tank Water Heater |
Water heaters that heat water via electric resistance coil or fossil fuel combustion and retain the water in a tank for later use. |
Energy Factor (EF) |
Heat Pump Water Heater |
An electric heat pump moves, or “pumps”, heat from the ambient air and uses this heat to assist in providing hot water. |
EF
|
Tankless Water Heater |
Tankless water heaters heat water as it flows through the device, and do not retain any water internally except for what is in the heat exchanger coil. |
EF |
Commercial Space Cooling
Technology |
Definition |
Efficiency Parameter |
Packaged A/C |
A type of heating and/or cooling equipment that is assembled at a factory and installed as a self-contained unit. |
SEER
EER |
Individual Room A/C |
A room air conditioner transfers heat from the inside of a building to the outside, and delivers cooled and/or dehumidified air to single rooms and smaller areas. |
EER
|
Heat Pump |
A type of heating and/or cooling equipment that draws heat into a building from outside and, during the cooling season, ejects heat from the building to the outside. |
EER
SEER |
Central Chiller |
A type of cooling equipment that is centrally located and that produces chilled water in order to cool air. |
EER
kW/ton
COP
|
District Chilled Water |
Water chilled outside of a building in a central plant and piped into the building as an energy source for cooling. |
|
Commercial Space Heating
Technology |
Definition |
Efficiency Parameter |
Furnaces |
A type of space-heating equipment with an enclosed chamber where fuel is burned or electrical resistance is used to heat air directly without steam or hot water. |
AFUE
Thermal Efficiency
Combustion Efficiency |
Boilers |
A type of space-heating equipment consisting of a vessel or tank where heat produced from the combustion of such fuels as natural gas, fuel oil, or coal is used to generate hot water or steam. |
AFUE
Thermal Efficiency
Combustion Efficiency |
Packaged Heating Units |
A type of heating equipment that is assembled at a factory and installed as a self-contained unit. |
AFUE
Thermal Efficiency
Combustion Efficiency |
Geothermal Heat Pump |
A type of heat pump that uses the natural heat storage ability of the earth and/or the groundwater to heat and/or cool a building. |
HSPF
COP
|
District Steam or Hot Water |
Steam or hot water produced outside of a building in a central plant and piped into the building as an energy source for space heating or another end use. |
|
Individual Space Heaters |
A type of space heating equipment that is a free-standing or a self-contained unit that generates and delivers heat to a local zone within the building. |
|
Commercial Refrigeration
Technology |
Definition |
Efficiency Parameter |
Supermarket Refrigeration |
The complete supermarket refrigeration system including display cases, compressor racks, condensers, and walk-ins. |
|
Walk-Ins |
A refrigeration or freezer unit (within a building) that is large enough to walk into. |
|
Reach-Ins |
Upright, self-contained refrigerated cases with solid or glass doors whose purpose is to hold frozen and/or refrigerated food products. |
|
Refrigerated Vending Machines |
Upright, refrigerated cases whose purpose is to hold cold beverages and/or food products and vend them in exchange for currency or tokens. |
|
Ice Machines |
Machines used to provide a variety of ice types used in the food service, food preservation, hotel, and healthcare industries. |
|
Beverage Merchandisers |
Self-contained, upright, refrigerated cabinets that are designed to hold and/or display refrigerated beverage items for purchase without an automatic vending feature. |
|
Lighting
Technology |
Definition |
Efficiency Parameter |
Incandescent Lamp |
A lamp that produces light by electrically heating a filament so that it glows. Included in this category are the familiar light bulbs which screw into sockets, Tungsten Halogen, Reflector or R-Lamps, Parabolic Aluminized Reflector (PAR) lamps, and Ellipsoidal Reflector lamps. |
Lumens/Watt |
Fluorescent Lamp |
A lamp made of a glass tube coated on the inside with fluorescent material. The lamp produces light by passing electricity through mercury vapor, which causes the fluorescent coating to glow or fluoresce. |
Lumens/Watt |
High-Intensity Discharge (HID) Lamp |
A lamp that produces light by passing electricity through gas, which causes the gas to glow. Includes mercury vapor lamps, metal halide lamps, high-pressure sodium lamps. |
Lumens/Watt |
Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) |
A fluorescent lamp designed to replace medium, screw-based incandescent lamps found in most lamp sockets. |
Lumens/Watt |
Solid-State Lighting (SSL) |
Technology uses semi-conducting materials to convert electricity into light. Includes both light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). |
Lumens/Watt |
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Building Descriptions
Commercial
Building Descriptions |
Definition |
Specific Buildings |
Education |
Buildings used for academic or technical classroom instruction, such as elementary, middle, or high schools, and classroom buildings on college or university campuses. Buildings on education campuses for which the main use is not classroom are included in the category relating to their use. For example, administration buildings are part of “Office”, dormitories are “Lodging”, and libraries are “Public Assembly”. |
- elementary or middle school
- high school
- college or university
- preschool or daycare
- adult education
- career or vocational training
- religious education
|
Food Sales |
Buildings used for retail or wholesale of food. |
- grocery store or food market
- gas station with a convenience store
- convenience store
|
Food Service |
Buildings used for preparation and sale of food and beverages for consumption. |
- fast food
- restaurant or cafeteria
|
Health Care (Inpatient) |
Buildings used as diagnostic and treatment facilities for inpatient care |
- hospital
- inpatient rehabilitation
|
Health Care (Outpatient) |
Buildings used as diagnostic and treatment facilities for outpatient care. Medical offices are included here if they use any type of diagnostic medical equipment (if they do not, they are categorized as an office building). |
- medical office (see previous column)
- clinic or other outpatient health care
- outpatient rehabilitation
- veterinarian
|
Lodging |
Buildings used to offer multiple accommodations for short-term or long-term residents, including skilled nursing and other residential care buildings. |
- motel or inn
- hotel
- dormitory, fraternity, or sorority
- retirement home
- nursing home, assisted living, or other residential care
- convent or monastery
- shelter, orphanage, or children's home
- halfway house
|
Mercantile (Retail Other Than Mall) |
Buildings used for the sale and display of goods other than food. |
- retail store
- beer, wine, or liquor store
- rental center
- dealership or showroom for vehicles or boats
- studio/gallery
|
Mercantile (Enclosed and Strip Malls) |
Shopping malls comprised of multiple connected establishments. |
- enclosed mall
- strip shopping center
|
Office |
Buildings used for general office space, professional office, or administrative offices. Medical offices are included here if they do not use any type of diagnostic medical equipment (if they do, they are categorized as an outpatient health care building). |
- administrative or professional office
- government office
- mixed-use office
- bank or other financial institution
- medical office (see previous column)
- sales office
- contractor's office (e.g. construction, plumbing, HVAC)
- non-profit or social services
- research and development
- city hall or city center
- religious office
- call center
|
Public Assembly |
Buildings in which people gather for social or recreational activities, whether in private or non-private meeting halls. |
- social or meeting (e.g. community center, lodge, meeting hall, convention center, senior center)
- recreation (e.g. gymnasium, health club, bowling alley, ice rink, field house, indoor racquet sports)
- entertainment or culture (e.g. museum, theater, cinema, sports arena, casino, night club)
- library
- funeral home
- student activities center
- armory
- exhibition hall
- broadcasting studio
- transportation terminal
|
Public Order and Safety |
Buildings used for the preservation of law and order or public safety. |
- police station
- fire station
- jail, reformatory, or penitentiary
- courthouse or probation office
|
Religious Worship |
Buildings in which people gather for religious activities, (such as chapels, churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples). |
No subcategories collected. |
Service |
Buildings in which some type of service is provided, other than food service or retail sales of goods. |
- vehicle service or vehicle repair shop
- vehicle storage/ maintenance (car barn)
- repair shop
- dry cleaner or laundromat
- post office or postal center
- car wash
- gas station
- photo processing shop
- beauty parlor or barber shop
- tanning salon
- copy center or printing shop
- kennel
|
Warehouse and Storage |
Buildings used to store goods, manufactured products, merchandise, raw materials, or personal belongings (such as self-storage). |
- refrigerated warehouse
- non-refrigerated warehouse
- distribution or shipping center
|
Other |
Buildings that are industrial or agricultural with some retail space; buildings having several different commercial activities that, together, comprise 50 percent or more of the floorspace, but whose largest single activity is agricultural, industrial/ manufacturing, or residential; and all other miscellaneous buildings that do not fit into any other category. |
- airplane hangar
- crematorium
- laboratory
- telephone switching
- agricultural with some retail space
- manufacturing or industrial with some retail space
- data center or server farm
|
Vacant |
Buildings in which more floorspace was vacant than was used for any single commercial activity at the time of interview. Therefore, a vacant building may have some occupied floorspace. |
No subcategories collected, but a question was asked to determine whether the building was completely vacant. |
Residential
Building Type |
Definition |
Specific Buildings |
Single-Family Detach |
A single-family house is contained within walls extending from the basement (or the ground floor, if there is no basement) to the roof. |
|
Single-Family Attached |
Attached houses are considered single-family houses as long as they are not divided into more than one housing unit and they have independent outside entrances. |
Townhouses, Rowhouses, or Duplexes
|
Multi-Family 2-4 Units |
A unit in a building with two to four housing units--a structure that is divided into living quarters for two, three, or four families or households in which one household lives above or beside another. This category also includes houses originally intended for occupancy by one family (or for some other use) that have since been converted to separate dwellings for two to four families. Typical arrangements in these types of living quarters are separate apartments downstairs and upstairs or one apartment on each of three or four floors. |
|
Multi-family 5+ Units |
A unit in a building with five or more housing units--a structure that contains living quarters for five or more households or families and in which one household lives above or beside another. |
|
Mobile Homes |
A housing unit built on a movable chassis and moved to the site. It may be placed on a permanent or temporary foundation and may contain one or more rooms. If rooms are added to the structure, it is considered a single-family housing unit. A manufactured house assembled on site is a single-family housing unit, not a mobile home. |
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