There's so many terms specific to the Energy Efficiency industry that it can be hard to keep track of them all. Here's a list of some of the ones we use, plus what they mean.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ABCB | The Australian Building Codes Board |
| ABSA | The Association of Building Sustainability Assessors |
| Accredited Software | For Residential buildings, this means BERS Pro V4.2 For Commercial buildings, this means DesignBuilder |
| Approved Procedures | NatHERS-approved National Procedures |
| Assessor | Residential Thermal Performance Assessor, or Licensed operator of Commercial Building Assessment software |
| BCA | The Building Code of Australia (National Construction Code) |
| Brick Veneer | A wall constructed of brick or block, with timber or metal frame, airspace & plasterboard or Fibre-Cement lining |
| Building Envelope | The extent of the conditioned space - may include spaces that are “accidentally” conditioned |
| Building Fabric | Roof, Ceiling (including Roof lights), Walls & Floor |
| Cavity Panel | A wall constructed of metal or Fibre-Cement cladding, with a timber or steel frame, airspace & plasterboard or Fibre-Cement lining |
| Certified Assessors | Someone who has passed the ABSA Assessor Exam, signed a Code of Conduct & has Professional Indemnity Insurance |
| Cladding | External facing material with or without an airspace |
| Commercial Building Software | Software that complies with the ABCB Protocol for Building Energy Analysis Software 2006.1 |
| Concrete Block | Concrete Block - all cores filled |
| Concrete Block (Lightweight) | Hollow Concrete Block |
| Concrete Panel | Solid reinforced concrete tilt panel |
| DesignBuilder | Approved Software for Commercial buildings. Uses the EnergyPlus calculation engine, developed by the US Department of Energy |
| DTS | Deemed-To-Satisfy - amethod of assessment (formally Deemed to Comply) |
| EER | Energy Efficiency Ratio - output energy divided by total input energy (including controls & circulation fans) |
| Elements | Items in Section J - Building Fabric, Glazing, Air-conditioning, Artificial Lighting |
| FC | Fibre-Cement |
| Foil | Reflective foil insulation. Its effective R-value is determined by its emittance, angle, air space thickness & the direction of heatflow |
| Insulation | A material designed to resist the transfer of heat. The main types are Fibre (loose, bulk, batts), foam (fill, boards) or foil (anti-glare, laminated) |
| J6 | BCA Section J, Part J6 - Artificial Lighting DTS provisions |
| JP1 | BCA Section J, Performance Requirement - design & services that facilitate efficient use of energy in a building |
| JP2 | BCA Section J, Performance Requirement - services that facilitate maintenance & service of systems incorporated in the building |
| JP3 | BCA Section J, Performance Requirement - services that facilitate heating for a conditioned space. Must source energy from low greenhouse gas intensity source, or have an on-site renewable energy source |
| JV3 | BCA Section J, Verification Method (thermal calculation) that compares the Total Building Energy of the proposed building with a Reference Building |
| kWh | Kilowatt-hours - a unit of electrical energy. 1 kilowatt-hour = 3.6 MegaJoules |
| Lining | Internal wall sheeting, usually fixed to the frame of the studs |
| LowE | Glass with a low emittance (a lower U-value) |
| NatHERS | The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme |
| NCC | The National Construction Code - BCA Volumes 1 & 2 and the National Plumbing Code |
| Partially conditioned | A space that draws its fresh air (e.g. for exhaust make-up) from a conditioned space |
| Plasterboard | Gypsum lined on both sides with paper |
| Reference Building | A building with the same dimensions & glazing sizes as the proposed building but with all Elements complying with the DTS requirements |
| Residential Software | Software that complies with the NatHERS Protocol for House Energy Rating Software (e.g. BERS Pro V4.2) |
| RPEQ | A Registered Professional Engineer Queensland |
| R-value | The thermal resistance of a component (this could be just the material only, or the total system's thermal resistance) |
| Section J | BCA Volume 1 Energy Efficiency Provisions, generally for commercial buildings |
| SHGC | Solar Heat Gain Coefficient - the amount of solar energy that passes through a piece of glazing into the room |
| Star Rating | An Energy Efficiency assessment of a residential building. An in-depth thermal calculation using Accredited Software, Approved Procedures & Certified Assessors |
| Thermal Break | Separating insulation between external cladding & supporting frames or studs that share the internal lining (ceiling or wall). Must be at least R0.2 for metal frames - can be avoided by cross battens (e.g. horizontal battens on vertical studs) |
| Total R-value | Aggregate R-value of the individual composite layers of materials in a system, including air spaces & air films |
| U-value | Thermal Conductance of a composite element. For Glazing, this can be glass-only (g) or glass+frames (w=window) |
| α (greek alpha) | The Solar Absorptance of a surface - based on the colour of the surface (lighter is lower) |