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Glossary

Terms for Architecture, Green Building & Energy


This glossary includes more than 300 solar terms, as well as hundreds of additional sustainable design and construction terms.

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z    All  

 

A-weighting

Absorber

Absorption

Absorption Chiller

Accelerated Depreciation (Wind)

Acceptable Indoor Air Quality

Acceptor

Access (Wind)

ACH (Air Changes Per Hour

Acid Leachate

Acid Rain

Acidification

Acoustic Privacy

Activated Shelf Life

Activation Voltage(s)

Active Solar Heating

Active Solar System

Active Solar Water Heater

Adaptability

Adaptation

Adaptation

Adapted Plants

Adaptive Capacity

Adaptive Reuse

Adhesive

Adjustable Set Point

Adobe

Adopting Entity

Advanced Framing

Advection

Aerobic Wastewater Treatment

Affordable Housing

AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency)

Aggregation (Wind)

Agricultural By-products

Agricultural Fiber

Agricultural Prime Farmland

Agricultural Waste

Agrifiber Board

AHU (Air Handling Unity)

Air Barrier

Air Change Effectiveness (ACE)

Air Changes Per Hour (ACH)

Air Cleaning

Air Conditioning

Air Economizer

Air Exchange Rate

Air Handling Unit (AHU)

Air Mass (sometimes Called Air Mass Ratio)

Air Plenum

Air Pollution

Air Quality Construction Management Plan

Airborne Pollutant

Albedo

Allergen

Alternative Energy

Alternative Fuel

Alternative Fuel Vehicle

Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) (Wind)

Alternative Refueling Station

Ambient Lighting

Ambient Temperature

Amorphous Semiconductor

Amorphous Silicon

Amperage Interrupt Capability (AIC)

Ampere (amp)

Ampere Hour Meter

Ampere-Hour (Ah/AH)

ANC

Anemometer (Wind)

Anemometry Equipment (Wind)

Angle Of Incidence

Angle Of Maximum Candela

Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency

Annual Solar Savings

Anode

Anti-corrosive Paint

Antireflection Coating

Appearance (Wind)

Aquifer

Architect

Architecture

Array

Array Current

Array Operating Voltage

Artificial Sky

Asbestos

Asbestos Management Plan

ASHRAE

Assembly Recycled Content

Asset/Equity Ratio (Wind)

Atrium

Attractive Nuisance (Wind)

Automated Natural Ventilation

Automatic Fixture Sensors

Autonomous System

Availability

Avoided Cost (Wind)

Azimuth Angle

Bacteria Sink

Baffle

Bakeout

Balance Of System

Band Gap

Band Gap Energy (Eg)

Barrier Energy

Base Load

Baseline Building Performance

Basis Of Design (BOD)

Battery

Battery Available Capacity

Battery Capacity

Battery Cell

Battery Cycle Life

Battery Energy Capacity

Battery Energy Storage

Battery Life

Bead Wall

Benefit Cost Analysis

Berming

Best Management Practice (BMP)

BESTEST (Building Energy Simulation Test)

Bicycle Storage

Bio-based Products

Bio-climatic Regions

Bioaccumulants

Bioaerosol

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

Bioconcentration

Biodegradable

Biodiversity

Bioengineering

Biological Contaminants

Biological Waste Treatment

Biomass

Biome

Bioremediation

Bioswale

BIPV (Building-Integrated Photovoltaics)

Blackwater

Blackwater

Blackwater Treatment

Blocking Diode

Boron (B)

Boule

Breathing Zone

BREEAM

Brownfield

Btu (British Thermal Unit)

Btu/h (British Thermal Units Per Hour)

Buffer Space

Building Cooling Load

Building Density

Building Envelope

Building Flush-Out

Building Footprint

Building Pressurization

Building Related Illness

Building Science

Building-related Illness (BRI)

Built Environment

Business Metrics (Wind)

Bypass Diode

CABO (Council Of American Building Officials)

Cadmium (Cd)

Cadmium Telluride (CdTe)

Candela (cd)

Cap

Capacity (C)

Capacity Factor

Captive Electrolyte Battery

Car Pooling

Carbon Dioxide

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon Neutral

Carrying Capacity

Cathode

Cathodic Protection

Cell (battery)

Cell Barrier

Cell Junction

Cellulose

Cellulose Insulation With Borates

Cementitious Foam Insulation

Ceramic

CERCLA (aka Superfund)

Certified Sustainably Managed Wood

Certified Wood Products

Chain Of Custody

Charge

Charge Carrier

Charge Controller

Charge Factor

Charge Rate

Charrette

Checkdam

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)

Chiller

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's)

CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Selenide) Solar Cell

Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs)

Cleavage Of Lateral Epitaxial Films For Transfer (CLEFT)

Clerestory

Climate Change

Climate Change Impact

Climate Prediction

Closed-loop Control

Cloud Enhancement

Cogeneration

Combined Collector

Combined Light Pipe And Thermal Chimney

Comfort Zone

Commercial Scale Wind

Commissioning

Community Wind

Community-Based Energy Development (C-BED) (Wind)

Composite Materials

Composite Wood

Composting

Composting Toilet

Concentrator

Conditioned Space

Conduction

Conduction Band (or Conduction Level)

Conductor

Constructed Wetland

Constructed Wetland

Construction And Demolition Debris (C&D)

Construction, Demolition And Renovation Waste Management

Construction/ Renovation Indoor Air Quality Management Plan

Contact Resistance

Contamination (also Contaminated Site)

Convection

Conversion Efficiency

Converter

Cooling Degree Day (CDD)

Cooling Load Requirement

COP (Coefficient Of Performance)

Copper Indium Diselenide (CuInSe2, Or CIS)

Copper Indium Gallium Selenide Solar Cell (CIGS)

Cost-of-Service Ratemaking

Covenant

Coverage Ratio

Cradle-to-grave Analysis

CRI

Criteria Air Pollutants

Crystalline Silicon

Cullet

Current At Maximum Power (Imp)

Cut-off Luminaire Angle

Cutoff Voltage

Cycle

Czochralski Process

Dangling Bonds

Daylight Factor

Daylight Factor (DF)

Daylighting

Days Of Storage

DC-to-DC Converter

Deadlegs

Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR)

Debt Vs. Equity

Debt-to-Capital Ratio

Deciduous

Decommissioning

Deep Discharge

Deep-Cycle Battery

Degree Day

Demand

Demand Control Ventilation

Demand-controlled Ventilation

Demand-controlled Ventilation (DCV) CO2-based

Demand-Side Management (DSM)

Dendrite

Dendritic Web Technique

Depletion Zone

Depreciation

Depth Of Discharge (DOD)

Deregulation

Desiccant Energy Recovery Wheel

Design Charrette

Design Month

Detention

Dew Point

Diffuse Insolation

Diffuse Radiation

Diffusion Furnace

Diffusion Length

Diode

Direct Beam Radiation

Direct Current (DC)

Direct Daylighting

Direct Insolation

Direct Lighting

Discharge

Discharge Factor

Discharge Rate

Disconnect

Discount Rate

Distributed Energy Resources (DER)

Distributed Generation

Distributed Generation

Distributed Power

Distributed Systems

Distribution Cooperative

Distribution System

Disturbed Area

Diurnal

Domestic Hardwood

Donor

Donor Level

Dopant

Doping

Double Skin Facade

Downtime

Drainage Plane Or Water Resistant Barrier (WRB)

Drift Eliminator

Drip Irrigation

Drought-resistant Plants

Dry Cell

Dual Line Feed (Wind)

Due Diligence

Durability

Dust Spot Efficiency

Duty Cycle

Duty Rating

Earth Sheltered Design

Earth Tube

Earth's Thermal Energy

Easement

Eco-charrette

Ecohealth Approach

Ecological Toxicity

Economizer Controls

Ecosystem

Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EBA)

Edge-Defined Film-Fed Growth (EFG)

EEM (Energy Efficient Mortgage) (USA)

EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio)

EF (Energy Factor)

Effective Aperture Value

Efficient Windows

Electric Circuit

Electric Cooperative

Electric Current

Electrical Grid

Electrical Permitting (Wind)

Electricity

Electrochemical Cell

Electrode

Electrodeposition

Electrolyte

Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs)

Electron

Electron Volt (eV)

Electronic Ballast

Embodied Energy

Emissivity

Endangered Species

Energy

Energy Audit

Energy Conservation Measures (ECM)

Energy Contribution Potential

Energy Density

Energy Levels

Energy Modeling

Energy Policy Act Of 1992 (NEPA)

Energy Policy Act Of 2005

Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV)

Energy Star Ratings

ENERGY STARĀ® Home

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

Environmental Purchasing

Environmental Quality Board

Environmentally Preferable

EPAct (Energy Policy Act Of 1992)

Epitaxial Growth

Equalization

Equalization Charge

Equalizing Charge

Equinox

Erosion Control

Escrow

Eutrophication

Evacuated Tube Solar Collector

Evacuated Tube Solar Collector

Ex-situ Remediation

Exfiltration

Exhaust Air

Existing Buildings

Exterior Grade Plywood

Extrinsic Semiconductor

Farm Bill, Energy Title, Section 9006

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)

Feed-in Tariff

Feedstocks

Fenestration

Fermi Level

Field Impact Insulation Class (FIIC)

Fill Factor

Finger-jointed Lumber

Fixed Tilt Array

Fixture

Flashing

Flat-Plate Array

Flat-Plate Module

Flat-Plate Photovoltaics (PV)

Float Charge

Float Life

Float Service

Float-Zone Process

Floodplain

Flushout

Fly Ash

Food Security

Food System

Footcandle (fc)

Formaldehyde

Fossil Fuel

Fossil Fuel Depletion

Frequency

Frequency Regulation

Fresnel Lens

Fuel Cell

Full Spectrum Lights

Full Sun

Gallium (Ga)

Gallium Arsenide (GaAs)

Gassing

Gassing Current

Gel-Type Battery

Generation And Transmission Cooperative (G&T)

Geographic Information System (GIS)

Geotextiles

Geothermal Heat Exchange Technology

Gigawatt (GW)

Glare

Global Warming

Global Warming Potential

Graywater

Green Building

Green Energy

Green Tags

Greenfield

Greenhouse Effect

Greenwash

Greywater

Greywater Treatment

Grid

Harmonic Content

Harvested Rainwater

Hazardous Material

Heat Island

Heat Recovery Systems

Heating Load Requirement

Height (Wind)

HEPA Filter

HERS (Home Energy Rating System)

HERS Score

Hertz (Hz)

Heterojunction

High Albedo

High Quality Duct System

High Voltage Disconnect

High Voltage Disconnect Hysteresis

High-efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) Filter

Historic Preservation

Hole

Homojunction

HSPF (Heating Season Performance Factor):

Hub Height (Wind)

Human Health

Humidification

Hybrid System

Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)

Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon

I Joists

I-Type Semiconductor

I-V Curve

Impact Isolation Class (IIC)

Impervious Area

Incident Light

Independent Power Producer (IPP)

Independent System Operator (ISO)

Indigenous Materials

Indirect Lighting

Indium Oxide

Indoor Pollution At-source

Infiltration

Infrared Radiation

Inherently Sustainable Features

Input Voltage

Insolation

Installation Costs (Wind)

Insulation

Integrated Design

Integrated Pest Management

Interconnect

Interconnection

Interconnection Agreement

Interior Zone

Internal Rate Of Return (IRR)

Intrinsic Layer

Intrinsic Semiconductor

Invasive Vegetation

Inverter

Investor-Owned Utility (IOU)

Ion

Irradiance

Irrigation

IRS Private Letter Rulings (Wind)

ISPRA Guidelines

Joule

Junction

Junction Box

Junction Diode

Kilowatt (kW)

Kilowatt Hour

Kilowatt-Hour (kWh)

Kitchen Recycling Center

Landowner Wind Energy Association

Langley (L)

Lattice

Lawn

Lead

Lead-Acid Battery

LEED

Legionella

Life

Life Cycle (materials)

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Life Cycle Cost

Life Cycle Impact Assessment

Life-Cycle Cost

Light Pipe

Light Shelf

Light Trapping

Light Trespass

Light-Induced Defects

Lighting (Wind)

Lighting Power Density

Line Of Sight

Line-Commutated Inverter

Liquid Electrolyte Battery

Living Machine

Load

Load Circuit

Load Current (A)

Load Resistance

Low Biocide

Low Pressure Drop High Efficiency Air Filters

Low Voltage Cutoff (LVC)

Low Voltage Disconnect

Low Voltage Disconnect Hysteresis

Low Voltage Warning

Low-E Windows

Low-VOC Product

Lumen (lm)

Luminaire

Luminance Value

Mainstreaming

Maintenance-Free Battery

Majority Carrier

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

Maximum Power Point (MPP)

Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT)

Maximum Power Tracking

MEC (Model Energy Code)

Megawatt (MW)

Megawatt-Hour

Merchant (Wind)

MERV

Meteorological Tower (

Methane: (CH4)

Micro-climate

Microbial Contamination

Microgroove

Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV); ASHRAE 52.2-1999

Minnesota Flip (Wind)

Minority Carrier

Minority Carrier Lifetime

Mitigation

Mixed-use

Modified Accelerated Cost-Recovery System (MACRS)

Modified Sine Wave

Modularity

Module

Module Derate Factor

Moisture Barrier

Moisture Sensors

Monolithic

Movistor

MSDS

Multi-Stage Controller

Multicrystalline

Multijunction Device

Multiplier Effect (Wind)

Municipal Utility ("Muni")

Municipal Wind Power

N-Type

N-Type Semiconductor

N-Type Silicon

Nadir

Nameplate Capacity (Wind)

National Electrical Code (NEC)

National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)

Native Vegetation

Native Vegetation

Naturalized Landscape

Net Metering And Net Billing

Net Present Value

Net Zero Energy Building

Network Resource (Wind)

Nickel Cadmium Battery

Night Purge

Nitrogen Oxide: (NO)

Noise (Wind)

Nominal Voltage

Non-potable Water

Non-Utility Generator (NUG)

Normal Operating Cell Temperature (NOCT)

NOx

O&M (Operations And Maintenance) Agreement

Off-Peak Power

Off-Taker (Wind)

Ohm

One-Axis Tracking

Open-Circuit Voltage (Voc)

Operating Point

Orientation

Orientation

Outdoor Air Supply

Outgas

Overcharge

Overhang

Ozone

Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS)

Ozone Depletion

P-I-N

P-I-N

P-Type Semiconductor

P/N

Packing Factor

Pad Mount Transformer

Panel

Parallel Connection

Particulate Matter

Pass-Through Entity

Passivation

Passive Cooling

Passive Design

Passive Downdraft Evaporative Cooling

Passive Heating

Passive House

Passive Income

Passive Solar Water Heater

Passive Tax Appetite

Passive Ventilation

Payments-In-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT)

Peak Demand

Peak Load

Peak Power Current

Peak Power Point

Peak Power Tracking

Peak Sun Hours

Peak Watt

Perimeter Zone

Permits Required (Wind)

Pervious Area

Pervious Paving

Phosphorous (P)

Photocurrent

Photoelectric Cell

Photoelectrochemical Cell

Photon

Photovoltaic (PV) Array

Photovoltaic (PV) Cell

Photovoltaic (PV) Conversion Efficiency

Photovoltaic (PV) Device

Photovoltaic (PV) Effect

Photovoltaic (PV) Generator

Photovoltaic (PV) Module

Photovoltaic (PV) Panel

Photovoltaic (PV) System

Photovoltaic Panels (PVs)

Photovoltaic(s) (PV)

Photovoltaic-Thermal (PV/T) System

Physical Vapor Deposition

Plat Drawings

Plates

Pocket Plate

Point Multiplier

Point-Contact Cell

Polycrystalline

Polycrystalline Silicon

Post-consumer Recycled Content

Potable Water

Potent Industrial Greenhouse Gases

Power Conditioning

Power Conditioning Equipment

Power Conversion Efficiency

Power Curve (Wind)

Power Density

Power Factor (PF)

Power Purchase Agreement (Wind)

Pre-consumer Recycled Content

Previously-developed Area

Primary Battery

Pro Forma

Pro Rata

Production Tax Credit (PTC)

Programmable Thermostat

Project Phasing

Projected Area

Public Utility Commission (PUC), Public Services Commission

Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA)

Pulse-Width-Modulated (PWM) Wave Inverter

Pyranometer

Pyrheliometer

Quad

Qualification Test

R-value

Radiation

Radon

Radon High Risk Area

Radon Moderate Risk Area

Rainscreen

Rated Battery Capacity

Rated Module Current (A)

Rated Power

Rating Class

Reactive Power

Reactive Power Support

REC (Recognized Environmental Condition)

REC (Renewable Energy Credit)

Recombination

Rectifier

Recycled Material

Recycling

Regulator

Rehabilitation

Relative Humidity

Remediation

Remote Systems

Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy Credits (RECs)

Renewable Energy Payment

Renewable Energy Production Incentive (REPI)

Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS)/Renewable Electricity Sta

Reserve Capacity

Resilience

Resilient City

Resistance (R)

Resistive Voltage Drop

RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network)

Restoration

Restructuring

Reused Material

Reverse Current Protection

Ribbon (Photovoltaic) Cells

Risk

Root Mean Square (RMS)

Rural Electrification Administration (REA)

Sacrificial Anode

Satellite Power System (SPS)

Schottky Barrier

Scribing

Sea Level Rise

Sealed Battery

Seasonal Depth Of Discharge

Secondary Battery

SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio)

Self-Discharge

Semiconductor

Semicrystalline

Sensible Capacity

Sensible Heat

Series Connection

Series Controller

Series Regulator

Series Resistance

Service Life

Setback

Setbacks

Shading Coefficient (SC)

Shadow Flicker (Wind)

Shallow Trench System

Shallow-Cycle Battery

Shelf Life Of Batteries

Short-Circuit Current (Isc)

Shunt Controller

Shunt Regulator

Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)

Siemens Process

Signage (Wind)

Signal Interference (Wind)

Significant Trees

Significant Vegetation

Silicon (Si)

Sine Wave

Sine Wave Inverter

Single-Crystal Silicon

Single-Stage Controller

Sink

Sky Glow

Skylight Edge

Smart House

Smog

Solar Air Heater

Solar Altitude

Solar Aquatic Waste System

Solar Azimuth

Solar Cell

Solar Chimney

Solar Constant

Solar Cooling

Solar Energy

Solar Energy

Solar Heat Gain Coefficient

Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC)

Solar Noon

Solar Panel

Solar Radiation

Solar Reflectance Index

Solar Resource

Solar Spectrum

Solar Thermal Electric Systems

Solar-Grade Silicon

Sound Power (Wind)

Sound Pressure

Sound Transmission Class (STC)

Sound Transmission Class (STC)

Space Charge

Spacing (Wind)

Specific Gravity

Spinning Reserve

Split-Spectrum Cell

Sputtering

Square Wave

Square Wave Inverter

Stack Effect

Stack-effect

Staebler-Wronski Effect

Stand-Alone System

Stand-Off Mounting

Standard Reporting Conditions (SRC)

Standard Test Conditions (STC)

Standby Current

Starved Electrolyte Cell

Storage Battery

Storm Surge

Stratification

String

Sub-metering

Sub-surface Irrigation

Substrate

Subsystem

Sulfation

Sulfur Dioxide

Sun-bearing Angle

Sundial

Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES)

Superconductivity

Superfund (aka CERCLA)

Superfund Site

Superstrate

Supply Air

Surge Capacity

Sustainable

System Availability

System Benefits Charge (SBC)

System Operating Voltage

System Storage

Tare Loss

Tariff

Task Lighting

Technical Nutrient

Temperature Compensation

Temperature Factors

Thermal Bridge

Thermal Buffer

Thermal By-pass

Thermal Chimney

Thermal Comfort

Thermal Efficiency

Thermal Envelope

Thermal Flywheel

Thermal Mass

Thermal Radiation

Thermal Storage Mass

Thermal Zone

Thermophotovoltaic Cell (TPV)

Thick-Crystalline Materials

Thin Film

Thin Film Photovoltaic Module

Three-Phase Distribution Or Transmission Lines

Tilt Angle

Tin Oxide

Ton(s)

Topsoil

Total AC Load Demand

Total Harmonic Distortion

Total Internal Reflection

Tracking Array

Transformer

Transmission

Transpired Solar Air Heater

Tray Cable (TC)

Trickle Charge

Trombe Wall

Tunneling

Turbine

Turf

Two-Axis Tracking

U-value

Ultraviolet

Ultraviolet Radiation (UV)

Umbra

Unbundling

Underground Feeder (UF)

Underground Service Entrance (USE)

Undeveloped Area

Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)

Urban Greening

Urban Heat Island

Urban Village

Urbanization

Utility-Interactive Inverter

Vacuum Evaporation

Vacuum Zero

Valence Band

Valence Level Energy/Valence State

Vapor Barrier

Variable Air Volume System

Variable-air-volume (VAV)

Varistor

Vented Cell

Ventilation Path

Vertical Multijunction (VMJ) Cell

Vestibule

Visible Transmittance

Visual Light Transmission

VOC

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Volt (V)

Voltage

Voltage At Maximum Power (Vmp)

Voltage Protection

Voltage Regulation

Vulnerability

Wafer

Wake Losses (Wind)

Waste Reduction And Recycling Plan

Water Intake

Water Stress

Water Wall

Water-flow Data

Watt

Waveform

Weatherization

Weep-hole

Wet Shelf Life

Wet-cooling Tower Automated Blowdown System

Wet-cooling Tower Conductivity Probes

Wetland

Wh (watt-hour)

Wheeling

Wildlife Corridor

Wind Power Class

Wind Power Systems

Wind Rose

Wind Shear

Window

Wire Types

Work Function

X-ray Burst

Xeriscape

Yellow

Zenith

Zenith Angle

Zero Energy Building (ZEB)

Zero Energy Cost Building

Zero Energy Emissions Building

Zero Energy Grid-Tied Building

Zero Energy Home (ZEH)

Zero Energy Site Building

Zero Energy Source Building

Zone Area

Zoning (Wind)