Heating And Air Conditioning Quiz! Trivia Questions

1. BTU stands for:

British Thermal Unit

Bar Therm per Uncia

Board of Trade Unit

Barrels per Tonne (United Kingdom)

Oddly enough, BTU is an imperial measurement, not metric. You would think the British would support the imperial measurement system because of this.

Explanation

Oddly enough, BTU is an imperial measurement, not metric. You would think the British would support the imperial measurement system because of this.

2. What does CFM stand for?

Cubic Feet per Minute

Cubic Femtojoule per Meter

Celsius For Meter

Air velocity is very important in sizing your duct-work and determining how much sound your fan will make when it pushes the heat through the ducts. Newer heating units have variable speed fans which reduce the noise levels as well as the cost of operating.

Explanation

Air velocity is very important in sizing your duct-work and determining how much sound your fan will make when it pushes the heat through the ducts. Newer heating units have variable speed fans which reduce the noise levels as well as the cost of operating.

3. Does a home with an inside temperature of 72°F (21°C) and with a relative humidity of 50% feel warmer than a home at 72°F (21°C) and with a relative humidity of 30%?

The home at 72°F (21°C) and with a relative humidity of 50% feels warmer

The home at 72°F (21°C) and with a relative humidity of 30% feels warmer

Both would feel the same

Remember those hot sticky summer days that feel like its 104°F (40°C) when the thermometer only reads 80°F (27°C)? If you want to save on heating, install a humidifier to add moisture to the air in the winter. A dehumidifier also works well to make a house feel cooler in the summer without running the air conditioner as much.

Explanation

Remember those hot sticky summer days that feel like its 104°F (40°C) when the thermometer only reads 80°F (27°C)? If you want to save on heating, install a humidifier to add moisture to the air in the winter. A dehumidifier also works well to make a house feel cooler in the summer without running the air conditioner as much.

4. A BTU is calculated by:

Raising/lowering 1 pound of water 1 degree Fahrenheit

Raising/lowering 1 litre of water 1 degree Celsius

Both equal the same

It's kind of odd that they would use a "pound" of water and not a certain volume of water. Also, noteworthy, there are 8.34 pounds of water in a gallon (US) and 7.48 gallons (US) in a cubic foot of water.

Explanation

It's kind of odd that they would use a "pound" of water and not a certain volume of water. Also, noteworthy, there are 8.34 pounds of water in a gallon (US) and 7.48 gallons (US) in a cubic foot of water.

5. By definition, heat...

...is expensive

...rises

...stays where it is

...moves from areas of hot to cold

Read up on the "second law of thermodynamics" if you are not sure about this. It would be hard to explain all in this small space.

Explanation

Read up on the "second law of thermodynamics" if you are not sure about this. It would be hard to explain all in this small space.

6. Why do the ice cubes shrink in your freezer?

They melt

Ice decreases in size as it gets colder

Humidity is lower in the freezer air than in the ice cube causing sublimation

H20 only expands when it reaches the freezing point

I never knew ice cubes could shrink. I'll go take a look in my freezer.

Sublimation is the process in which a solid turns to gas and therefore 'skipping' the liquid state. Now that is real cool.

Explanation

Sublimation is the process in which a solid turns to gas and therefore 'skipping' the liquid state. Now that is real cool.

7. In central Ontario, what is the ratio between the quantity of BTUs it requires to heat a home in the winter versus cooling the same home in the summer (generally speaking)?

Anywhere from 10:1 to 15:1

About the same

Anywhere from 2:1 to 6:1

This is very generally speaking as each house is built differently. R-value of walls/ceilings/floors, size of windows, orientation, and percentage below grade all effect the heat-loss and heat-gain calculations of a house.

Explanation

This is very generally speaking as each house is built differently. R-value of walls/ceilings/floors, size of windows, orientation, and percentage below grade all effect the heat-loss and heat-gain calculations of a house.

8. By increasing the atmospheric pressure on a liquid...

Nothing happens

The freezing point is lower then regular

The boiling point is lower then regular

The boiling point is higher then regular

What has this to do with heating and cooling?

This has everything to do with heating and cooling. If we can alter the boiling/melting point of a substance, we can cause it to expel or absorb large amounts of heat energy very rapidly. If we take in enough heat energy to evaporate a liquid into a gas and then increase the pressure of the gas so much that it condensates, therefore expelling this same heat energy at a higher temperature, we can heat your house for less!

Explanation

This has everything to do with heating and cooling. If we can alter the boiling/melting point of a substance, we can cause it to expel or absorb large amounts of heat energy very rapidly. If we take in enough heat energy to evaporate a liquid into a gas and then increase the pressure of the gas so much that it condensates, therefore expelling this same heat energy at a higher temperature, we can heat your house for less!

9. What is a simple way to balance the heat throughout your house in the winter?

Simply by not heating your house, the temperature would be the same throughout.

Open all the registrars wide open.

Turn the fan on continually.

Increase the temperature on the thermostat

By keeping the fan on all the time, the heat in your home is rotated and colder spots will be come warmer and comfortable. Imagine being able to use your basement in the winter again. This holds true in the summer time too by taking the coolness out of the basement and circulating it throughout the house (and also getting rid of the damp smell in the basement too). The only thing to be concerned about is that most furnaces do not have a variable speed fan and can cost you well over $200 to run a year. (Newer ESC fan motors area variable speed and can cost as low as $20 to run for the entire year)

Explanation

By keeping the fan on all the time, the heat in your home is rotated and colder spots will be come warmer and comfortable. Imagine being able to use your basement in the winter again. This holds true in the summer time too by taking the coolness out of the basement and circulating it throughout the house (and also getting rid of the damp smell in the basement too). The only thing to be concerned about is that most furnaces do not have a variable speed fan and can cost you well over $200 to run a year. (Newer ESC fan motors area variable speed and can cost as low as $20 to run for the entire year)

10. Do EnergyStar high-efficiency propane furnaces, EnergyStar high-efficiency oil furnaces, and EnergyStar high-efficiency geothermal units all run at a similar efficiency?

Yes, EnergyStar ratings are applied to all heating units evenly

No, EnergyStar propane units are only better then other propane units, same with oil and geothermal units.

No, the geothermal unit takes electricity to run therefore cannot be as efficient as propane or oil to heat a home

So, basically, not all EnergyStar products are made the same. The worst geothermal unit is still far more efficient than the best propane or oil furnaces.

Explanation

So, basically, not all EnergyStar products are made the same. The worst geothermal unit is still far more efficient than the best propane or oil furnaces.

11. How much energy does it take to turn one unit of ice into the water at 32°F verses the increasing the same unit of water 1°F?

It takes twice the amount of energy to melt ice than raise it 1°F

It takes 7 times the amount of energy to melt ice than raise it 1°F

It takes half the amount of energy to melt ice than raise it 1°F

It takes 144 times the amount of energy to melt ice than raise it 1°F

There is a lot more heat energy in a volume of water than the same volume of ice. But the ice still hurts more when it's thrown at you.

Explanation

There is a lot more heat energy in a volume of water than the same volume of ice. But the ice still hurts more when it's thrown at you.

12. How many BTU's in a kW?

12000 BTUs

1.34 BTUs

3412 BTUs

1200 BTUs

This is very important to know when figuring out how efficient a geothermal unit is. If it takes 12 amps at 240 volts (equaling 2.88 kW) to produce 39306 BTU/hr (11.52 kW/hr) then the geothermal unit has a COP rating of 4.0 or 400% efficiency. Sounds crazy, but it really works

Explanation

This is very important to know when figuring out how efficient a geothermal unit is. If it takes 12 amps at 240 volts (equaling 2.88 kW) to produce 39306 BTU/hr (11.52 kW/hr) then the geothermal unit has a COP rating of 4.0 or 400% efficiency. Sounds crazy, but it really works

13. To keep your house warm, what is the most efficient size of the furnace to heat your home?

80,000 BTU/hr

One that comes on 10 minutes every hour on the coldest day of the year

One that comes on all day on the coldest day of the year

Bigger the better

Why pay more for a furnace that is too big than one that is properly sized. Traditional sizing of fossil fuel furnaces cause indoor temperatures to fluctuate greatly as the furnace would cycle through the on and off periods. End result is a home that is too hot and then too cold and never properly balanced throughout the entire house.

Explanation

Why pay more for a furnace that is too big than one that is properly sized. Traditional sizing of fossil fuel furnaces cause indoor temperatures to fluctuate greatly as the furnace would cycle through the on and off periods. End result is a home that is too hot and then too cold and never properly balanced throughout the entire house.

14. Where does the heat from behind your fridge come from?

The bottom of the fridge

Turning water into ice and keeping the contents of the fridge cold

From running the compressor

For those that have never thought about this question before may find it weird that you are getting heat from ice. If you remember that the by-product of refrigeration is heated, then heating your home by cooling the ground outside doesn't seem as confusing.

Explanation

For those that have never thought about this question before may find it weird that you are getting heat from ice. If you remember that the by-product of refrigeration is heated, then heating your home by cooling the ground outside doesn't seem as confusing.