What Is the Definition of HVAC?

July 8, 2015

The acronym HVAC stands for heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and it’s the broadly used term to describe equipment used to keep homes at a comfortable temperature. In the residential sector, most HVAC systems in Texas are forced-air heating and cooling systems that include heat pumps, air conditioners and furnaces.

HVAC Components

Forced-air systems have two major components. The first is the indoor air handler unit that houses some of the cooling system’s parts and most of those associated with the furnace. A central air conditioner and a heat pump both use outdoor condensers that contain the condensing coil, the compressor and a fan. The V in HVAC stands for ventilation, and the blower motor in the air handler pulls air over the heating and cooling components, conditioning your air and sending it through the ductwork.

How They Work

Central air conditioners and heat pumps use refrigerant to capture the heat in the indoor air. During the cooling cycle, the compressor alters the refrigerant pressure that chills it. It flows through the evaporator coil in the air handler, and the blower sends air over the coil, removing the heat. A heat pump reverses the refrigerant flow in the winter to warm the air.

During the cooling cycle, the warmed refrigerant then circulates through the condensing coil while a fan pulls air through the coil to cool it. Air returns to the compressor and back into the evaporator coil until your home reaches the thermostat’s setting.

Gas furnaces have a burner inside the air handler and an electronic or standing pilot that lights the fuel to create heat. A heat exchanger adjacent to the burner heats up and the blower motor sends air over it. As it blows the air through the ductwork, your home warms.

To learn more about what HVAC stands for and getting the most from yours, contact Davis Air Conditioning & Heating or call us today at 888-710-5530 from Houston or 888-929-0049 from Brazoria County.