Combined heat and power comes with a lot of jargon to navigate - make sense of it with our guide to the energy industry’s acronyms.

1. www.energ-group.com/chp
WTH is CHP? A
guide to the energy
industry’s acronyms
Don’t let abbreviations and acronyms cause
CHP confusion. Learn all the terms you
need here.

2. Combined Heat and Power (CHP) is
a complex technology, sometimes
the long list of abbreviations in the
industry make it even more difficult
to understand.
To help you muddle through the
alphabet, here’s a short list of
abbreviations.
These are the ones you will probably
hear the most when discussing CHP
(there it is again).
DER
CCHP
DH
COP
CHP
HMI
HRSG
EGHX
WHRB

3. Acronyms related to Combined Heat and
Power (CHP):
CHP
Combined Heat and Power
Also known as cogeneration, which
describes the production of heat and
electricity in the same process.
COP
DHCHP CCHP
DSR
G59 STOR
DSM
GCV

4. Acronyms related to Combined Heat and
Power (CHP):
CCHP
Combined Cooling, Heat and
Power
Also known as trigeneration, these systems
divert some of the heat produced into an
absorption or adsorption refrigerator and
produce cooling.
COP
DHCHP CCHP
DSR
G59 STOR
DSM
GCV

5. Acronyms related to Combined Heat and
Power (CHP):
DH
District Heating
Where domestic and/or commercial
properties are heated from a centralised
location by a network of pipes. The heat
is often generated from a cogeneration
system.
COP
CHP CCHP DH
DSR
G59 STOR
DSM
GCV

6. Acronyms related to Combined Heat and
Power (CHP):
COP
Coefficient of performance
Used to measure effectiveness of devices
such as heat pumps and absorbers, this
refers to the ratio of heating or cooling
provided to electrical energy consumed.
Higher COPs mean lower operating costs.
DSR
G59 STOR
DSM
DH
GCV
CHP CCHP
COP

7. Acronyms related to Combined Heat and
Power (CHP):
DSR
Demand side response
Demand side response is where people
using electricity change the amount they
are taking off the grid at a particular time,
usually in response to a signal.
DHCHP CCHP
COP
G59
DSM
STOR
DSR
GCV

8. Acronyms related to Combined Heat and
Power (CHP):
DSM
Demand side measures
Reviewing all aspects of energy usage at
a given site or organisation and looking at
all aspects of reducing energy usage and
spend, typical DSMs include insulation,
water savings measures, refitting lighting,
automating systems.
DHCHP CCHP
COP
G59
DSM
STOR
DSR
GCV

9. Acronyms related to Combined Heat and
Power (CHP):
G59
A document produced
by The Energy Networks
Association (ENA)
Describing the allowable methods for
electrical connection of a CHP to the
distribution network, it covers CHPs greater
than 16A/phase.
DHCHP CCHP
COP
G59
DSM
STOR
DSR
GCV

10. Acronyms related to Combined Heat and
Power (CHP):
STOR
Short Term Operating
Reserve
A type of demand management, it allows
the provision of additional power from
generators to be supplied to the grid for
times of high demand.
DHCHP CCHP
COP
G59
DSM
STOR
DSR
GCV

11. Acronyms related to Combined Heat and
Power (CHP):
GCV
Gross Calorific Value
Also known as the Higher Heating Value
(HHV). CHP efficiencies are usually
calculated using fuel input energy measured
as Net Calorific Value (NCV) however energy
is purchased based upon Gross Calorific
Value (GCV) so conversion should be
undertaken before analysis/comparisons
are undertaken.
DHCHP CCHP
COP
G59
DSM
STOR
DSR
GCV

12. More acronyms related to Combined Heat
and Power (CHP):
ECM
Energy Conservation
Measures
Take these before you design and size
your CHP, to be sure it fits your building
envelope.
HMI
ECM ESA
EGHX
WHRB
AD DHW ESCO
ORC

13. More acronyms related to Combined Heat
and Power (CHP):
ESA
Energy Services Agreement
This pay-as-you-save agreement packages
up energy efficiency measures, often with
little to no up-front cost for the customer.
Instead, the agreement is funded via savings
from one or more energy conservation
measures, such as a CHP.
ECM ESA
EGHX
WHRB
AD DHW ESCO
ORCHMI

14. More acronyms related to Combined Heat
and Power (CHP):
WHRB
Waste Heat Recovery Boiler
Another name for an HRSG.
HMI
ECM ESA
EGHX
WHRB
AD DHW ESCO
ORC

15. More acronyms related to Combined Heat
and Power (CHP):
EGHX
Exhaust Gas Heat Exchanger
A heat recovery device that uses hot
exhaust gases to generate hot water.
HMI
ECM ESA
EGHX
WHRB
AD DHW ESCO
ORC

16. More acronyms related to Combined Heat
and Power (CHP):
HMI
Human Machine Interface
This is typically a touch screen on the CHP
control panel through which the unit can be
controlled.
HMI
ECM ESA
EGHX
WHRB
AD DHW ESCO
ORC

17. More acronyms related to Combined Heat
and Power (CHP):
ORC
Organic Rankine Cycle
Uses waste heat to provide additional
electrical power, in the case of cogeneration
the waste heat comes from the exhaust
from the gas engine.
HMI
ECM ESA
EGHX
WHRB
AD DHW ESCO
ORC

18. More acronyms related to Combined Heat
and Power (CHP):
AD
Anaerobic Digestion
The breakdown of organic matter into
carbon dioxide, methane and water by two
groups of microorganisms, bacteria and
archaea, this process occurs without oxygen
which makes it anaerobic.
HMI
ECM ESA
EGHX
WHRB
AD DHW ESCO
ORC

19. More acronyms related to Combined Heat
and Power (CHP):
DHW
Domestic Hot Water
Water that is used for everyday tasks such
as cleaning, washing, bathing and heating
using a boiler.
HMI
ECM ESA
EGHX
WHRB
AD DHW ESCO
ORC

20. More acronyms related to Combined Heat
and Power (CHP):
ESCO
Energy services company
This is an organisation that provides a broad
range of energy solutions, that can include
all aspects of an energy savings projects
including energy conservation, design,
implementation, power generation, energy
infrastructure and even financing of the
projects.
HMI
ECM ESA
EGHX
WHRB
AD DHW ESCO
ORC

21. Measurement terms:
kW
Kilowatt
1 thousand watts, used for power rating of
electric/thermal devices.
PSIG MPa
kWhkWekW

22. Measurement terms:
kWe
Kilowatt Electrical
This is referring to kilowatts of electrical
power rather than, say, heating energy, that
is expressed by kilowatt thermal (kWth).
PSIG MPa
kWhkWekW

23. Measurement terms:
kWh
Kilowatt Hour
Unit of electrical energy equivalent to using
1kW for a period of 1 hour.
PSIG MPa
kWhkWekW

24. Measurement terms:
PSIG
Pounds per Square
Inch Gauge
A measure of pressure.
PSIG MPa
kWhkWekW

25. Measurement terms:
MPa
Megapascal
The metric unit of measuring pressure.
PSIG MPa
kWhkWekW

26. Government agencies, governing bodies and
trade associations
OFGEM
Office of gas and electricity
markets
CIBSE
Chartered Institute of
Building Services Engineers
DCLG
Department for
Communities and Local
Government
IET
Institute of Engineering
and Technology
CHPQA
Quality Assurance for
Combined Heat and Power
BSI
British Standards Institute
CENELEC
European Committee
for Electro-technical
Standardisation
CHPA
Combined Heat and Power
Association
COGEN EUROPE
European Association
for the Promotion of
Cogeneration
DECC
Department of Energy and
Climate Change (UK)
ISO
International Organization
for Standardization
WADE
World Alliance for
Decentralized Energy

27. Discover how easy it is to implement CHP technology and
start saving.
Download your free eGuide now:
CHP, Easy as 123: The Journey to
Combined Heat and Power
01
www.energ.co.uk/chp
CHP, Easy as 123: The
Journey to Combined Heat
and Power
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