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Glossary & Acronyms
Air Changes per Hour (ACH) - An expression of ventilation rates - the number of times in an hour that a home's entire air volume is exchanged with outside air.
Air Barrier -
Meets
ASTM E283
A layer of material resistant to air flow
usually in the form of polyolefin (i.e.
Typar, Tyvek, and other housewraps). A
material which is applied in conjunction
with a building component (such as a wall,
ceiling or sill plate) to prevent the
movement of air through that component.
Air Barrier System - The
assembly of components used in building
construction to create a plane of air
tightness throughout the building envelope
and to control air leakage.
Blower Door -
Diagnostic equipment consisting of a
calibrated fan, removable panel and gauges,
used to measure and locate air leaks.
Btu British Thermal Unit
- The
amount of energy that is required to raise 1
lb. of water up 1° F
Btuh -
A rate of
energy transfer - can be expressed as
Btu's/hour
Building Envelope -
The external
elements walls which includes, floor,
ceiling, roof, windows and doors of a
building that encloses conditioned space;
the building shell.
Capillary Action -
The movement of
liquid within a material against gravity as
a result of surface tension.
CFC
(Chlorofluorocarbon) - Any of various
halocarbon compounds consisting of carbon,
hydrogen, chlorine, and fluorine, once used
widely as aerosol propellants and
refrigerants. Chlorofluorocarbons are
believed to cause depletion of the
atmospheric ozone layer.
Combustion Efficiency -
A measure of
useful heat extracted from a fuel source by
an operating heating appliance. For example,
a furnace with a combustion efficiency of 60
percent converts 60 percent of the fuel's
energy content into useful heat. The rest is
lost as exhaust gases.
Conduction -
Transmission of
energy (heat /sound) through a material or
from one material to another by direct
contact.
Convection -
Transmission of
energy (heat /sound) from one place to
another by movement of a fluid such as air
or water.
Density -
Determined by
the weight expressed in pounds of a cubic
foot of spray foam.
Dew Point -
The temperature
at which a vapor begins to condense.
Diffusion -
The movement of
water vapor from regions of high relative
humidity (RH) toward regions of lower RH
driven by a higher to lower temperature
differential.
Flame Retardant -
A substance
which is added to a polymer formulation to
reduce or retard the tendency to burn.
Flame Retarded (Adj.) -
The property of
a material to which flame-retardant has been
added.
Flame Spread -
Standard test
for determining relative combustibility. The
flame spread of a tested material is rated
relative to red oak (flame spread = 100).
Flammability
-
Relative
ability of a material to support combustion
as expressed by its flash point.
Formaldehyde - A
colorless pungent irritating carcinogen used
chiefly in aqueous solutions as a
disinfectant and
Heat Loss -
Heat that is
lost from a building through air leakage,
conduction and radiation. To maintain a
steady interior temperature, heat losses
must be offset by a combination of heat
gains and heat contributed by a heating
system.
Heat Recovery Ventilation System -
A mechanical
ventilation system that recovers energy from
exhausted indoor air and transfers it to
incoming air. This system usually
incorporates an air-to-air heat exchanger
which transfers the heat from exhaust air to
the incoming air or vice versa.
HCFC (Hydrochlorofluorocarbons)
are compounds
containing carbon, hydrogen, chlorine and
fluorine. They have shorter atmospheric
lifetimes than CFC's and deliver less
reactive chlorine to the stratosphere where
the ''ozone layer'' is found.
HFA
Propellant, usually
hydrofluoroalkane-134a, used in
chlorofluorocarbon-free (CFC-free)
aerosol delivery systems.
HFC (hydrofluorocarbon) -
HFC's have
replaced ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons
(CFC's) in many applications but
Humidistat -
A humidity sensitive control device
that signals the ventilation system to
operate if the humidity goes above a preset
limit.
Hydrophobic -
Having no affinity for water; not compatible
with water. ''Water fearing''.
Infiltration - Uncontrolled leakage of air into a building through cracks around doors, windows, electrical outlets and at structural joints.
Insulation -
Materials with
low thermal conductivity characteristics
that are used to slow the transfer of heat.
Isocyanate
(MDI (diphenyl methane diisocyanate))
-
One of a group
of neutral derivatives of primary amines
(R-N=C=O) groups. An essential component (A)
of spray foam chemistry.
Kilowatt-hour (kWh) -
Standard unit
for measuring electrical energy
consumption-kilowatts per hour.
Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) -
A standard
formatted information sheet, prepared by a
material manufacturer, describing the
potential hazards, physical properties, and
procedures for safe use of a material.
Mold -
Fungal growths often resulting in
deterioration of organic materials,
especially under damp conditions.
Organic - Compounds containing carbon.
Overspray -
(1) Airborne
spray loss of polyurethane foam. (2)
Undesirable depositions of airborne spray
loss.
Perm -
A unit of water
vapor transmission defined as 1 grain of
water vapor per square foot per hour per
inch of mercury pressure difference (1 inch
mercury = 0.49 psi). Metric unit of measure
is ng/m2 s Pa. 1 perm = 55 ng/m2
s Pa.
Permeability -
The time rate
of water vapor transmission through unit
area of a material of unit thickness induced
by unit vapor pressure difference between
two specific surfaces, under specified
temperature and humidity conditions.
pH -
A measure of
acidity/alkalinity of aqueous mixtures. A
measure of pH 7 is neutral, lower is more
acidic; higher is more alkaline.
Radiation -
Transfer of
energy (heat/sound) from one object to
another through an intermediate space. Only
the object receiving the radiation, not the
space is heated. The heat is in the form of
low frequency, infrared, invisible, light
energy, transferring from a ''warm'' object
to a ''cold'' object. It is known as the
'black body effect.
Relative Humidity -
The ratio
expressed as a percentage of the amount of
moisture air actually contains to the
maximum amount it could contain at that
temperature.
R -
A unit of
measurement of resistance to heat flow in
hr. ft2 ° F/BTU.in.
RSI -
A unit of
measurement of resistance to heat flow in m2
° C/W per 25 mm. R = 0.176 RSI.
Resin -
Component B in
spray foam chemistry. This component is
mixed with the A component to form The
Icynene Insulation System®.
Standard Testing -
Laboratory test
methodology for determining relative
properties of materials at specific
conditions.
Thermostat -
Temperature
sensitive control device that signals a
heating or cooling system to operate if the
temperature in the building reaches a preset
limit.
Thermal Barrier -
A material
applied over Icynene® Insulation
designed to slow the temperature rise of the
foam during a fire situation and delay its
involvement in the fire.
Thermal Bridge -
A thermally
conductive material which penetrates or
bypasses an insulation system; such as a
metal fastener or stud.
Thermal Resistance (R) -
An index of a
material's resistance to heat flow. See R
and RSI.
Thermography -
A building
energy diagnostic technique using an
infrared camera for locating areas of
temperature differential in a building.
U-Value -
Overall thermal
conductance. U value is equal to the inverse
of the sum of the R-values in a system (U =
1 /R total).
Vapor Diffusion Retarder/Barrier -
A layer of
moisture resistant material usually which
controls moisture diffusion (defined as less
than 1 perm) to prevent moisture build up in
the walls.
Viscosity -
The thickness
or resistance to flow of a liquid. Viscosity
generally decreases as temperature
increases; application temperatures of spray
foam components are specified in part, to
control viscosity at the spray gun.
AISI -
American Iron & Steel Institute
ALA - American Lung Association ANSI - American National Standards Institute ASE - Alliance to Save Energy
ASHRAE -
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating
and Air-Conditioning Engineers
ASTM - American Society for Testing and Materials BETEC - Building Environment & Thermal Envelope Council BOCA - Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc. CABO (ICC) - Conference of American Building Officials (International Code Council) CCMC - Canadian Construction Materials Centre CSA - Canadian Standards Association DOE - U.S. Department of Energy EPA - Environmental Protection Association EEBA - Energy and Environmental Building Association EERE - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearing House (DOE program) FSEC - Florida Solar Energy Center
IAQA -
Indoor Air Quality Association
IBACOS
- Integrated Building And Construction
Solutions
IBC - International Building Code ICBO - International Conference of Building Officials
ICC -
International
Code Council
LEED - Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design
NAHB -
National Association of Home Builders
NAHBRC - NAHB Research Center NBC - National Building Code of Canada NEAT - Novel Environmental Advanced Technology NER - National Evaluation Report
NES -
National Evaluation Service, Inc.
NIBS - National Institute of Building Sciences NIST - National Institute of Standards and Technology NRC - National Research Council of Canada ORNL - Oak Ridge National Laboratory SBCCI - Southern Building Codes Congress International USBIC - Sustainable Buildings Industry Coucil
UBC -
Uniform Building Code
UL - Underwriters Laboratories ULC - Underwriters' Laboratories Canada
USGBC
- United States Green Building Council
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