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

A B C D E F G H I L M N O P Q R S U V

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

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

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.