Learning Center
The comfort glossary
Every quote is written in jargon. Here's the translation — plain-English definitions of the terms that decide what you pay and what you get.
6 terms
Efficiency Ratings
- SEER2
- Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (2023 test standard) — how efficiently an AC or heat pump cools across a season. Higher is more efficient; California requires a minimum of SEER2 14.3 for most new systems.
- HSPF2
- Heating Seasonal Performance Factor — the heating-season efficiency of a heat pump. The heating counterpart to SEER2.
- AFUE
- Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency — the percentage of a furnace's fuel that becomes heat for your home. A 96% AFUE furnace wastes only 4% of the gas it burns.
- BTU
- British Thermal Unit — the basic measure of heating or cooling energy. System capacity is rated in BTU/h; 12,000 BTU/h equals one ton of cooling.
- Tonnage
- Air-conditioner capacity, in 12,000 BTU/h increments. A properly sized system matches the home's real heat load — bigger is not better.
- EER2
- Energy Efficiency Ratio — steady-state efficiency at a fixed outdoor temperature (95°F). Useful for judging performance during heat waves.
11 terms
Systems & Equipment
- Heat pump
- An all-electric system that moves heat instead of making it — cooling in summer, heating in winter, from one unit. Exceptionally efficient in mild coastal climates.
- Ductless mini-split
- A system pairing an outdoor unit with one or more slim indoor heads — no ductwork required. The standard answer for South Bay homes built without ducts.
- Multi-zone (multi-split)
- One outdoor unit driving up to five indoor heads, each with its own temperature control. Whole-home ductless comfort, room by room.
- Inverter compressor
- A variable-speed compressor that ramps output up and down smoothly instead of cycling on/off — quieter operation, steadier temperatures, lower bills.
- VRV / VRF
- Variable Refrigerant Volume/Flow — commercial-grade multi-zone technology that modulates refrigerant to each zone independently, floor by floor.
- Air handler
- The indoor unit that moves conditioned air through a ducted system — blower, coil and controls in one cabinet.
- Evaporator coil
- The indoor coil where refrigerant absorbs heat from your home's air. Its condition directly affects cooling capacity and efficiency.
- Condenser
- The outdoor unit that rejects heat collected from your home. Coastal salt air makes condenser coil care especially important near the beach.
- Refrigerant (R-32 / R-410A)
- The working fluid that carries heat through the system. Newer low-GWP refrigerants like R-32 are replacing R-410A under federal phase-down rules — a factor in repair-vs-replace math.
- Tankless water heater
- A unit that heats water on demand instead of storing it — endless hot water and a smaller footprint, sized to your home's simultaneous demand.
- Anode rod
- The sacrificial metal rod inside a tank water heater that corrodes so the tank doesn't. Replacing it on schedule is the cheapest way to extend tank life.
4 terms
Air Quality & Comfort
- MERV
- Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value — a filter's ability to capture particles (1–16 for residential). Higher MERV captures finer particles; your system must be able to breathe through it.
- Zoning
- Dividing a home into independently controlled comfort areas — via dampers in ducted systems or per-room heads in ductless ones.
- Latent vs. sensible heat
- Sensible heat changes the temperature you feel; latent heat is the moisture load. Proper dehumidification is part of real comfort, not just lower numbers on a thermostat.
- Static pressure
- The resistance your ductwork puts up against airflow — the blood pressure of an HVAC system. High static pressure means ducts, not equipment, are the bottleneck.
5 terms
Codes, Permits & Programs (California)
- Title 24
- California's building energy-efficiency code. It governs equipment efficiency, duct sealing and insulation requirements on new installs and many replacements.
- HERS testing
- Home Energy Rating System verification — third-party testing (like duct leakage tests) that California requires for many HVAC changeouts before the permit can close.
- SCAQMD Rule 1111
- The South Coast air district rule limiting NOx emissions from gas furnaces. There is no gas-furnace ban today — but the rule shapes fees and the long-term direction toward heat pumps.
- AHJ
- Authority Having Jurisdiction — the local building department that issues and inspects your permit (for us, typically the City of Torrance or LA County).
- TECH Clean California / HEEHRA
- State heat-pump incentive programs. Funding moves in phases — some waves are live, some waitlisted — which is why rebate guidance carries a 'last updated' date.
4 terms
Plumbing
- Repiping
- Replacing a home's aging supply pipes (often original galvanized steel in pre-1970 homes) with copper or PEX — restoring pressure, flow and water quality.
- Sewer lateral
- The buried pipe carrying wastewater from your house to the city main. In older neighborhoods, root intrusion and cast-iron decay are the usual suspects.
- Hydro jetting
- High-pressure water scouring that cleans the full pipe wall — a deeper reset than cable snaking for greasy or root-prone lines.
- GPM
- Gallons per minute — flow rate. The number that sizes tankless water heaters and fixtures to your household's real usage.
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