BPI Building Science Principles Vocabulary

BPI Building Science Principles Vocabulary The difference in measured air pressure between two areas - answerdelta P the difference in temperature between two areas - answerdelta T a material used for controlling air flow - answerair barrier how air exchange rate is typically expressed - answerACH (air changes per hour) "a measure of how efficiently a furnace or boiler converts fuel to heat, on average, over a typical year" - answerAFUE (annual fuel untilization efficiency) the number of times the interior volume of air changes over in one hour - answerair exchange rate the practice of installing appropriate materials to stop airflow in certain areas of a house - answerair sealing the movement of air in a house - answerairflow a formula that energy modeling software uses to estimate a house's energy usage - answeralgorithm an inert gas that is placed between the panes in multi-pane windows to improve the window's thermal performance - answerargon a type of heating system vent in which combustion by-products exhaust from the house up through a chimney by stack effect due to the natural bouyancy of hot gases - answeratmospheric venting the indoor space under the roof at the top of a house - answerattic a way of determining the R-value of a space that has adjacent areas of differing R-values - answeraverage R-value an element that can be installed on the exterior of a house over doors and windows to provide shading - answerawning a vent made from double-wall metal - answerB-vent a type of whole-house mechanical ventilation system that works by brining in fresh outdoor air and removing polluted indoor air in equal amounts - answerbalanced system a type of framing used in older houses in which the walls are built before the floor - answerballoon framing a large cavity created in platform framed houses when walls are built on top of sheathed decks - answerband joist a house's electricity and water demand - answerbaseload a foundation configuration involving significant excavation that creates an area underneath that adds a full floor to a house - answerbasement a blanket created when loose fiberglass or mineral wool are held together with adhesive - answerbatt the cavity between studs in a framed wall - answerbay a diagnostic tool used to assess the amount of air leakage in a house - answerblower door a type of heating system in which a boiler heats water to produce either steam or hot water for heating - answerboiler system a unit of measure related to heat - answerBTU (British thermal unit) any part of the building assembly that creates a boundary between indoor and outdoor space - answerbuilding envelope "the set of fundamental scientific principles, taken from several branches of science, that govern home performance" - answerbuilding science collected water in liquid form - answerbulk moisture a force created by differences in density between indoor and outdoor air that drives stack effect - answerbouyancy force the maximum amount of electrical power that a piece of electrical equipment can accommodate - answercapacity an occurrence in which water is 'sucked up' into tiny spaces in and between building materials - answercapillary action a part of door weatherstripping; attaches to the door - answercarrier a high sloping ceiling that shares the same pitch as the roof - answercathedral ceiling a type of insulation material made from ground up newspaper - answercellulose a type of energy-efficient lighting - answerCFL (compact fluorescent lamp) a unit of measure for airflow velocity - answerCFM (cubic feet per minute)