"Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) is the use of various technologies to control the temperature, humidity, and purity of the air in an enclosed space."
A brief overview of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems of buildings, including how they operate, their components, and how to design and install them.
Basic Building Science: Understanding how buildings work, how they are built, and how they interact with their environment. This includes topics such as heat transfer, insulation, ventilation, and building codes.
HVAC Systems: Understanding the different types of HVAC systems, including heating, cooling, ventilation, and air conditioning. This includes knowledge of the various types of equipment, such as boilers, chillers, and air handlers.
Ductwork: Understanding the principles of duct design, sizing, and installation. This includes knowledge of duct materials, pressure calculations, and airflow measurement.
Controls and Automation: Understanding control systems and how they operate HVAC equipment. This includes knowledge of thermostats, sensors, and building automation systems.
Energy Efficiency: Understanding how to design and operate HVAC systems to maximize energy efficiency. This includes knowledge of energy-efficient equipment, renewable energy sources, and building energy management systems.
Indoor Air Quality: Understanding how to design and operate HVAC systems to maintain good indoor air quality. This includes knowledge of air filtration, humidification, and ventilation.
Maintenance and Troubleshooting: Understanding how to maintain and troubleshoot HVAC systems. This includes knowledge of equipment maintenance, troubleshooting techniques, and common problems.
Safety: Understanding the safety procedures and protocols associated with working on HVAC systems. This includes knowledge of electrical safety, fall protection, and personal protective equipment.
Building Management and Sustainability: Understanding how to integrate HVAC systems into larger building management and sustainability plans. This includes knowledge of building energy audits, sustainability rating systems, and green building practices.
Split-system HVAC: This is the most popular HVAC system for residential heating and cooling. It has a separate indoor and outdoor unit with a refrigerant line connecting them. The outdoor unit consists of a compressor, while the indoor unit contains a fan and evaporator coil.
Packaged system HVAC: This is a single unit that combines heating and cooling. It is mainly used in commercial buildings or larger homes that require more power.
Heating-only HVAC systems: These systems are designed only for heating, and they typically use a natural gas-fired or oil-fired furnace. They are not typically used in warmer climates.
Cooling-only HVAC systems: These systems are designed only for cooling and are typically used in warmer climates. They use a single unit to distribute cool air throughout the building.
Hybrid HVAC systems: These systems are designed to use both electricity and gas for heating, depending on which is more cost-effective. They are also known as dual-fuel systems.
Geothermal HVAC systems: These systems use the earth's natural heat to warm and cool the building. They circulate water through an underground loop to heat and cool the building.
Ductless HVAC systems: Also known as mini-split systems, they are ideal for heating and cooling specific rooms or areas. They do not require ductwork and are ideal for older buildings or small homes.
High-Velocity HVAC systems: These systems are designed to move air at a high velocity through small ducts, typically found in older homes or smaller commercial buildings.
Multi-zone HVAC systems: These systems allow users to set different temperatures for specific zones in the building. They are ideal for larger homes or commercial buildings.
Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) HVAC systems: These systems use a single outdoor unit with multiple indoor units that can operate independently, allowing for greater control and energy efficiency. They are used in larger commercial buildings.
"Its goal is to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality."
"HVAC system design is a subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer."
"Refrigeration is sometimes added to the field's abbreviation as HVAC&R or HVACR."
"HVAC is an important part of residential structures such as single family homes, apartment buildings, hotels, and senior living facilities."
"HVAC is an important part of medium to large industrial and office buildings such as skyscrapers and hospitals."
"HVAC is used in vehicles such as cars, trains, airplanes, ships, and submarines."
"HVAC is used in marine environments, where safe and healthy building conditions are regulated with respect to temperature and humidity, using fresh air from outdoors."
"Ventilating or ventilation (the 'V' in HVAC) is the process of exchanging or replacing air in any space to provide high indoor air quality."
"Ventilation involves temperature control, oxygen replenishment, and removal of moisture, odors, smoke, heat, dust, airborne bacteria, carbon dioxide, and other gases."
"Ventilation removes unpleasant smells and excessive moisture, introduces outside air, keeps interior building air circulating, and prevents stagnation of the interior air."
"Methods for ventilating a building are divided into mechanical/forced and natural types."