Best Practice Guide

Glossary

Introduction

Planning an Energy Program

Funding and Approval

Commissioning

On-the-Farm Energy Use

Lighting

Building Envelope

Central HVAC System

Boilers

Steam

Combined Heat and Power

Compressed Air

Refrigeration

Motors

Demand Response

Distributed Generation

Water Use

Best Practice Guide Glossary

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THERMODYNAMICS Return to list of terms

A study of the transformation of energy into other manifested forms and of their practical applications. The three laws of thermodynamics are: Law of Conservation of Energy- energy may be transformed in an isolated system, but its total is constant, Heat cannot be changed directly into work at constant temperature by a cyclic process, Heat capacity and entropy of every crystalline solid becomes zero at absolute zero (0 degrees Kelvin).

Source: California Energy Commission