Title: Unit 11 Glossary
Course: HAC 140 Weatherization > Section: HAC 140 Weatherization

Unit 11 Glossary

Terms

Term | Definitions
Air barrier (air boundary) | Any part of the building shell that offers resistance to air leakage. The air barrier is effective if it stops most air leakage. The primary air barrier is the most effective of a series of air ba ...
Air leakage | Uncontrolled ventilation through gaps in the pressure boundary. Typical sites of air leakage include around windows, pipes, wires, and other penetrations.
Awning window | Awning windows are essentially casement windows that swing vertically. Awning windows are often used in basements. Jalousie windows, found on older mobile homes, are a type of awning window.
Backdrafting | (empty)
Carbon monoxide (CO) | Carbon monoxide is a tasteless, odorless, colorless, and poisonous gas that is a by-product of incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. It is usually caused by a lack of air to support combustion or ...
Casement window | Casement windows have a single operable sash that swings outward on a horizontal plane. Casement window frames that have gone out of square due to settling can stick and quite possibly render thes ...
Conduction | The transfer of energy through matter from particle to particle. When a teaspoon handle becomes hot while stirring hot tea, that is an example of heat transfer through conduction.
Convection | The transfer of heat caused by the movement of a fluid like water or air. When a fluid becomes warmer, it becomes lighter and rises. The stack effect is an example of convective currents at work.
Domestic hot water tank (DHWT) access door | Portal allowing access to the domestic hot water tank in a mobile home.
Door casing | A wooden trim around doors that covers the seam between the jamb and the wall.
Door stop | The wood trim fastened to the inside of the jamb that positions the door within the jamb and into the latching mechanism.
Double-hung window | Double-hung windows have operable upper and lower sashes that slide vertically in a channel. Upper sashes are often painted shut.
Glass pane | Sheet glass cut in shapes for windows or doors.
Glazing | Glass installation. Pertaining to glass assemblies or windows.
Head jamb | Groove at the top of the window that allows the window sashes to slide into place and sit inside the window frame.
Hinges | The metal objects that attach your door to the jamb, normally with screws. They can be made from brass, steel, iron, or other metals.
Indoor air quality (IAQ) | The quality of indoor air relative to its acceptability for healthful human habitation. Assessing and ameliorating, when necessary, the quality of indoor air is a major concern of the weatherizati ...
Jambs | The wood that surrounds the door unit to which the door is attached on the hinge side.
Lead-safe weatherization (LSW) | Methods, techniques, and engineering controls assuring that workers and home occupants are not exposed to harmful lead-based paint.
Low-e | Short for "low emissivity." In reference to window coatings, the characteristic of a metallic glass coating to resist the flow of radiant heat.
Lower sash | The bottom portion of the window consisting of a pane of glass set inside a frame. The lower sash is fixed in a single-hung window and slides up and down in a double-hung window.
Manual J | Load calculation that allows the user to properly size HVAC systems for single-family-detached homes, small multi-unit structures, condominiums, town houses, and manufactured homes.
Mullions | Vertical framing members that don't run the full length of the door.
National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) | NFRC is a non-profit organization that administers the only uniform, independent rating and labeling system for the energy performance of windows, doors, skylights, and attachment products.
Panel | Parts of a door between rails and stiles or mullions.
Picture window | Picture windows have no operable sashes and are used primarily for aesthetics.
Pressure boundary | The surface that separates inside from outside, in relation to conditioned space within the home. Also called air boundary or air barrier.
R-value | A measurement of thermal resistance for materials and related surfaces.
Radiation | Used in reference to heat transfer, independent of any medium.
Re-glazing | Glass installation. Pertaining to glass assemblies or windows. See also glazing.
Sash | A framework that holds the panes of a window in the window frame.
Savings-to-investment ratio (SIR) | A calculation that determines the cost-effectiveness of a weatherization measure by dividing the estimated savings over its lifetime by the cost. SIR is computed over the lifetimes of the retrofit ...
Side jamb | Grooves in window that allow the window sashes to slide up and down or side to side.
Sill | The very bottom of the window. The sill is usually sloped to allow water to run off the bottom of the window in rain or during cleaning.
Slider window | A slider window is essentially a double-hung window turned on its side so the sashes move horizontally.
Solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) | SHGC is a measure of the degree of shading incorporated into the glass and is an important factor to consider when selecting windows. Heating climates benefit from a high SHGC. Cooling climates be ...
Stiles | Full-length vertical framing members of a door.
Thermal boundary/thermal barrier | The continuous layer of building components, such as insulation, that retard conductive heat flow. See also thermal envelope.
Thermal break | A thermal break is an element of low thermal conductivity placed in an assembly to reduce or prevent the flow of thermal energy between conductive materials.
Thermal envelope | The continuous layer of building components, such as insulation, that retard conductive heat flow. See also thermal boundary.
Thermal transmittance | U-factor is a measure of non-solar heat flow through all the components of a material, typically used in reference to windows. The lower the U-factor, the better the thermal performance. U-factor ...
Threshold | A beveled wood member fastened to the floor and situated between the side jambs. The threshold seals the space between the bottom of the door and the floor.
Trim | Extends beyond the end of the window frame on the outside of the window opening. This allows the window to fit flush with the exterior wall when the window is installed.
U-factor | U-factor is a measure of non-solar heat flow through all the components of a material, typically used in reference to windows. The lower the U-factor, the better the thermal performance. U-factor ...
Upper sash | The top portion of the window consisting of a pane of glass set inside a frame. The upper sash is fixed in a single-hung window and slides up and down in a double-hung window.
Window stop | A wood trim member nailed to the window frame to hold, position, or separate window parts. The stop is often molded into the jamb liners on sliding windows.
Zone pressure diagnostics (ZPD) | Using a blower door to determine the interconnectivity of various building components, which helps the practitioner locate the pressure boundary and know if the air and thermal barriers are aligne ...