Terminology

HVAC: Heating, ventilation and air conditioning

Humidity is expressed in absolute terms, i.e. moisture content which is the mass of
water vapour per unit mass of dry air or vapour pressure.
Relative humidity is defined as the ratio of the amount of moisture in the air at a
temperature to the amount of moisture in the saturated air at the same
temperature. It is also defined as the ratio of partial pressure of water vapour in
moist air at a given temperature to the partial pressure of saturated water vapour in
air at the same temperature.
Dewpoint is the temperature below which water vapour condenses to form liquid
water drops when cooled at constant pressure. It is also defined as the temperature
air would have to be cooled for saturation to occur.
Infiltration is the unintentional or accidental introduction of outside air into a
building, typically through cracks in the building envelope and through use of doors
for passage. Infiltration is sometimes called air leakage. The infiltration rate is the
volumetric flow rate of outside air into a building, typically in cubic feet per minute
(CFM) or liters per second (LPS). The air exchange rate, (I), is the number of interior
volume air changes that occur per hour, and has units of 1/h. The air exchange rate
is also known as air changes per hour (ACHs).
Sensible heat is heat exchanged by a body or thermodynamic system that
changes the temperature, and some macroscopic variables of the body, but leaves
unchanged certain other macroscopic variables, such as volume or pressure.
Latent heat is energy released or absorbed, by a body or a thermodynamic
system, during a constant-temperature process. Latent heat however, does not
affect the temperature of a substance. Latent capacity is the capacity to remove the
moisture from the air.
Sensible heat ratio is the ratio of the sensible heat to the total heat where the
total heat is the sum of the sensible and latent heat.
The cooling load is the amount of heat energy that would need to be removed
from a space (cooling) to maintain the temperature in an acceptable range. It is the
sum of the sensible and latent cooling loads.
Condensation is the most common form of dampness in buildings. This occurs
when liquid water drops out of the air. The temperature at which condensation
begins is the dewpoint temperature (i.e. when the relative humidity reaches 100%).
Surface condensation is condensation which occurs on the visible surfaces of a
construction, rather than between the layers. Internal surface condensation can
promote mould growth, thus reducing indoor air quality, as well as creating
unsightly pattern staining
Interstitial condensation is condensation which occurs between layers of the
construction, i.e. inside the roof, wall or floor elements. Interstitial condensation

can cause deterioration or even failure of the components of the assembly,

potentially shortening their useful lifespan

A psychrometric chart is a graph of the thermodynamic parameters of moist air

at a constant pressure, often equated to an elevation relative to sea level. A
psychrometric chart presents physical and thermal properties of moist air in a
graphical form.
Dehumidication is the process in which the moisture or water vapour or the
humidity is removed from the air keeping its dry bulb (DB) temperature constant.