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Terms, words and abbreviations used throughout the site.

AC – alternating current

Argon –  a gas used between the glass panes in some insulated glazing units

AS – Australian standard

AS/NZS – Joint Australian and New Zealand Standard
 
BCA – a building consent authority

Bio-polymers – polymers from wood, cotton, horn (hardened protein) and raw rubber

Blackwater – wastewater from toilets and urinals

Clean wind – wind which blows consistently from one direction without turbulence

CCA – copper, chrome and arsenate timber preservative

CFL – compact fluorescent lamp. These use less energy than the traditional incandescent lamps

Closed loop solar water heating system – a heat transfer fluid absorbs heat in the solar panels and carries it to the storage cylinder, where the heat is transferred to the water through a heat exchanger

CO² – carbon dioxide

Coefficient of performance (CoP) – energy efficiency measure for heat pumps in heating mode. The ratio of heating capacity to the electrical power input

Continuous flow water heaters – water is only heated at the time hot water is required

Convection heating – form of heating which warms the air (contrast with radiant heating, below)

CSIRO – (Australian) Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

CuAz – copper azole timber preservative

DC – direct current, an electric current which flows in only one direction

EECA – Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority

EIFS – Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems

Embodied energy – all of the energy used over the life of a material or building, starting from the extraction of raw materials for manufacture and going through to disposal

Energy Efficiency Ratio – energy efficiency measure of heat pumps in cooling mode. The ratio of cooling capacity to the electrical power input

Evacuated glass tube solar panels – made up of a number of glass tubes, each with a vacuum. Inside the vacuum a plate (often made of copper) absorbs heat. A tube, cylinder or pipe connected to the absorber plate contains water or some other fluid such as glycol which absorbs heat and carries it to the water in the storage cylinder

Evaporative coolers – use a fan to move hot, dry air through a wet filter. They add moisture to the air, and the air temperature drops as warmth is used to evaporate the moisture. Evaporative coolers are only efficient in dry air

First flush diverter – a device which directs the first amount of rain (which washes dust and leaves off a roof) away from a rainwater collection tank

Flat plate solar panels – the most commonly used solar collectors, they have a metal plate (often copper, though sometimes aluminium) to absorb heat

Flexible polypropylene alloy (FPA) – an alloy of ethylene propylene rubber used for roofing applications

Fluorescent lamps – provide light by causing a phosphor coating on the inside of the glass to glow. They are energy efficient, using as little as 20% of the energy to provide the same light as an incandescent lamp, and last longer than incandescent lamps

FSC – Forest Stewardship Council
 
GHG – greenhouse gases include water vapour, carbon dioxide and methane

Greywater –  wastewater from baths, showers and hand basins; may also include wastewater from laundries

Halogen lamps – a type of incandescent lamp made of quartz that uses halogen gas to extend the life of the tungsten filament. They are more expensive than standard incandescent bulbs, but they last longer and are a little more energy efficient

Heat recovery systems – a heat exchanger transfers heat from warm room air which is being discharged to cooler fresh air being brought in

HEEP – Household Energy End-use Project, a research project conducted by BRANZ which measured energy use by New Zealand households

Hydronic heaters – a heating system that uses circulating hot water

IGUs – insulated glazing units (double glazing)

Incandescent lamps – lamps which produce heat as well as light, and are thus a less efficient form of lighting than, for example, fluorescent lamps

Inverters – convert DC electricity to AC electricity

Laminated glass – two sheets of glass bonded together with a thin plastic layer between

LEDs – light emitting diodes. Highly efficient and long-lasting form of lighting, but currently expensive

Life cycle assessment – systematic means of considering the impact of a material or component over its life, from extraction to processing/manufacturing to construction/installation to use to eventual disposal

LIM – Land Information Memorandum, a document or documents containing information about a particular property, available from the local territorial authority

LOSP –  Light Organic Solvent Preservatives; insecticides and fungicides in a spirit-based carrier for treating timber

Low-E glass – glazing with a thin transparent low emissivity coating which reduces heat loss

l/s – litres per second

MDF – medium density fibreboard, a compressed engineered wood product

Micro-hydro systems  – use flowing water from a stream or spring to turn a water turbine that generates electricity

MJ/kg – a measure of embodied energy based on the weight of the material

m/s – metres per second

Mt – megatonnes

NIWA – National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research

NZBC – New Zealand Building Code

NZCCO – New Zealand Climate Change Office

NZECP – New Zealand Electrical Code of Practice

NZS – New Zealand Standards
Open loop solar water heating system -  the water that’s being heated for consumption runs through the solar panels

Passive design – design which uses natural daylighting, ventilation, and the sun’s warmth rather than relying on artificial lighting, or active ventilation and heating

Photovoltaic systems –  absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity. They can be used as small-scale electricity generators that partially replace the mains supply

Pisé – rammed earth construction, where the earth is progressively compacted into removable formwork

Polybutylene – a plastic used for piping

Polycarbonate – a plastic used for translucent wall and roof cladding products

Polyeolefin – a plastic used in the manufacture of synthetic wall underlays or building wraps.

Potable water – water treated to a drinkable quality

PVC – plasticised polyvinyl chloride, a plastic typically used for flooring

Radiant heating – form of heating where the people and objects in front of the heater are warmed, rather than the air (contrast with convection heating, above)

RAPS – remote area power systems

R-value – a measure of the insulation value of a material or component

REBRI – Resource Efficiency in the Building and Related Industries. A partnership which promotes, advocates, and assists resource efficiency measures in the building and related industries

Renewable energy – energy derived from the sun, wind, biomass and other renewable sources, rather than from fossil fuels

Resilient sheet flooring –  thin sheets or tiles which are applied directly to a flat floor surface, such as vinyl, linoleum, synthetic rubber and recycled rubber

Stachybotrys – a variety of blackish mould that grows on materials containing cellulose which can be harmful to health

Thermal transfer wheel – a packed cylinder (or drum) that rotates slowly within an airtight casing between the fresh air and exhaust air flows, taking warmth from the exhaust air and transferring it to the fresh incoming air

Thermally-broken aluminium – a plastic insert with higher thermal performance separates two sections of aluminium. Used in some window frames

TWh – terawatt hour, or 1,000,000,000 kilowatt hours

uPVC – unplasticised polyvinyl chloride, a plastic  typically used for window frames, pipework, cladding, guttering and downpipes

VOC – volatile organic compound

VUW – Victoria University of Wellington

Water head – the drop in height from the point where water flows into an inlet pipe until it reaches a generator turbine

WERS – Window Efficiency Rating System. A 5-star rating system assessing window performance

Wet-back – water from a hot water cylinder passes through a domestic heater (such as a wood burner) and back to the cylinder

Wp – watts peak power