Basics of HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning)

In Basics of HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning), you'll learn ...

• Common HVAC equipment—such as ductwork, fans, coils, boilers, chillers, and packaged units—and system types, including air-side, water-side (hydronic), and variable refrigerant flow (VRF).
• The three primary heating methods used in HVAC: combustion, electric resistance, and heat pumps, including their efficiency characteristics.
• Air conditioning methods, including vapor compression cycle and evaporative cooling, plus humidity control strategies.
• Ventilation principles, both natural and mechanical, and their role in comfort, health, and code compliance.

Overview

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Credit: 1 PDH

Length: 18 pages

Basics of HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) is a short, concise course designed to be a good starting point for design and construction professionals who are not Mechanical Engineers but would like to learn more about HVAC and how that knowledge can be applied in their own disciplines.

The objective of this course is to expand general knowledge of HVAC and to allow for greater competency and fluency in HVAC equipment, systems, concepts and terminology. The course focuses primarily on HVAC design in buildings in the United States of America but may be helpful for those in other locations as well.

The course begins with heating—the oldest HVAC function—covering combustion, electric resistance, and heat pump technologies, along with efficiency considerations. Ventilation principles, both natural and mechanical, are explained, highlighting their role in comfort, health, and code compliance. Air conditioning methods are explored, focusing on the vapor compression cycle and evaporative cooling, plus humidity control strategies.

The course details common HVAC equipment—such as ductwork, fans, coils, boilers, chillers, and packaged units—and system types, including air-side, water-side (hydronic), and variable refrigerant flow (VRF). It clarifies units used in HVAC design, contrasting U.S. customary and SI measurements, and explains power versus energy concepts.

Essential scientific principles—heat transfer, thermodynamics, and psychrometrics—are introduced to build conceptual understanding. The course also examines energy efficiency, highlighting the superior performance of heat pumps, and strategies such as lowering water-side temperatures.

Finally, it addresses decarbonization, emphasizing the transition from fossil-fuel heating to electric heat pumps for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and discusses refrigerant evolution due to environmental concerns. Overall, it equips learners with practical and theoretical knowledge to better collaborate on HVAC-related building design and operation.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the core functions of HVAC systems—heating, ventilation, and air conditioning—and their importance in building design.
• Compare the three primary heating methods used in HVAC systems: combustion, electric resistance, and heat pumps, including their efficiency characteristics.
• Describe the principles of ventilation, including natural and mechanical methods, and their roles in thermal comfort, health, and building code compliance.
• Explain the vapor-compression cycle and its application in both heating with heat pumps and cooling with air conditioners.
• Distinguish between vapor-compression cooling and evaporative cooling, including their advantages, limitations, and appropriate climate conditions.
• Identify common HVAC equipment and components, including ductwork, fans, coils, boilers, chillers, air handlers, and terminal units.
• Differentiate among air-side, water-side, hydronic, and variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems and their operational characteristics.
• Apply basic heat-transfer, thermodynamic, and psychrometric concepts to explain HVAC performance and comfort conditions.
• Describe energy-efficiency and decarbonization strategies in HVAC design, including the benefits of heat pumps and the environmental impacts of refrigerants.

Certificate of Completion

You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 10 questions. PDH credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.