Browse Categories

Basic Electrical Abbreviations

Purple Flower

Electrical abbreviations play a vital role in the everyday work of engineers and technicians in various fields. They serve as a reliable and efficient method of communication, ensuring consistency and facilitating clear technical information exchange. These abbreviations act as a universal language, enabling professionals to convey electrical system and component details swiftly and accurately. By streamlining communication, they effectively minimize the risk of misunderstandings and errors. Professionals in industries such as HVAC, telecommunications, manufacturing, and many others rely on electrical abbreviations on a daily basis.

Belimo has written a cool post where they have collected the most common electrical abbreviations that engineers and field technicians use for easy reference. Check it out below!

Current
DC = Direct Current
AC = Alternating Current
VDC = Direct Current Voltage
VAC = Alternating Current Voltage
A = Ampere
mA = Milliampere = (1000 mA = 1 A)
µA = microampere (1,000,000 µA = 1 A)
kA = kiloampere (1 kA = 1000 A)
VA= Volt Amp
I = Common symbol for current in mathematical formulas

Voltage

V = Volt*
mV - millivolts (1000 mV = 1 V)
kV - kilovolts (1 kV = 1000 V)
E = Common symbol for voltage in mathematical formulas
(*I.S.O. standard indicates “U” to be used for voltage)

Resistance

O = Ohm
kO = Kilo-ohm (1 kO = 1000 O)
MO = Megaohm (1 MO = 1,000,000 O)
R = Common symbol for resistance in mathematical formulas
Ohm's Law
E = Voltage I = Current R = Resistance
E = I x R (Example: I = 20mA, R = 500O Therefore, E = .020 x 500 = 10V)
R = E/I (Example: E = 1.35V, I = 10mA Therefore, R = 1.35/.010 = 135O)
I = E/R (Example: E = 120V, R = 50O Therefore, 120/50 = 2.4A)

Power

W = Watt
mW = milliwatt (1000 mW = 1 W)
kW = kilowatt (1 kW = 1000 W)
MW = megawatt (1 MW = 1,000,000 W)
(*I.S.O. standard indicates “P” for power)
Power Calculations
W = E x I
Example: E = 24V, I = 260mA Therefore, 24 x .260 = 6.24W

W = R x I2
Example 1: R = 100 , I = 3A
100 x 32 = 100 x 9 = 900W
Example 2: R = 500 , I = 20mA = .020A
500 x .0202 = 500 x .0004 = .2W or 200mW

W = E2/R
Example: E = 24V, R = 100, Therefore, 242/100 = 576/100 = 5.76W

Capacitance

F = Farads
µF = microfarads (1,000,000 µF = 1 F)
nF = nanofarads (1,000,000,000 nF = 1 F)
pF = picofarads (1,000,000,000,000 pF = 1 F)

Inductance

H = Henry
mH = millihenry (1000 mH = 1 H)
µH = microhenry (1,000,000 µH = 1 H)

Frequency

Hz = Hertz
kHz = kilohertz (1 kHz = 1000 Hz)
MHz = megahertz (1 MHz = 1,000,000 Hz)
GHz = gigahertz (1 GHz = 1,000,000,000 Hz)

Impedance
Z - Impedance (measured in O)

Conductance
S - Siemen
mS - Millisiemen (1000 mS = 1 S)

Tags

bas networking iot distech control valves building automation ot jace hvac systems industrial valves eclypse tosibox jci bas network tosi 8000 9000 dwyeromega remote display hvac pumps hydronic systems commercial hvac centrifugal pumps chilled water systems heating water systems boiler safety boiler components industrial heating equipment heating systems chiller Pneumatic Electro-Mechanical and DDC systems maintenance calibration remote bacnet n4 automation honeywell control panels network configuration port security network control smart buildings energy management ethernet based bas network guidelines managed switches optimizer commander johnson controls Lead/Lag HVAC pumps boilers chillers RTUs hvac controls globe valves hvac valves pneumatic thermostats calibrating pneumatic thermostats how pneumatic thermostats work tosi control sma device count points Gas Meters Diaphragm Rotary meters gas trains fuel train gas supply commercial boiler burner ief transmitters Gas Valves for boilers Vent Valves Pilot Gas Valves switches for boilers a temperature sensor honeywell i4006 honeywell l6006c honeywell l91b temperature limit switches gas pressure limit switches pump selection pump sizing hydronic pump design pump fundamentals gpm flow rate total dynamic head tdh head pressure closed loop systems open loop systems glycol systems pump control strategies vfd pumps ecm pumps bas integration pump configuration inline pumps end suction pumps split case pumps redundant pumping lead lag pumps npsh hvac fundamentals industry terms pumps in hvac hydronic pump basics boiler systems hvac pump operation gpm and head pressure ahr boiler control Low Water Cut off Air Handler Unit AHU Air Handling Units HVAC Equipment york compressor tp valve temperature and pressure relief valve water heater safety domestic hot water systems plumbing safety devices pressure relief valves thermal expansion protection potable water systems water heater components mechanical code compliance plumbing code requirements boiler vs tp valve hot water storage tanks safety valves facility maintenance boiler relief valves ief electromagnetic flow transmitter optional lcd AI future pressure class belimo gas monitor air quality training certification atrius cloud platform fireye burnlogix yb honeywell q n5 bacnetsc sc niagara fx heating season checklist tc500 promo chart recorder industrial cxc customer center dcv sensor network security cyber ul508a industrial solutions engineering solutions panel assembly custom control panels commercial panels gas regulator sizing gas safety inlet pressure outlet pressure flow rate natural gas propane regulators subnet it managed ip switch vlan setup quality of service qos spanning tree protocol stp routing configuration network management lldp setup energy efficiency ethernet managed network switch benefits ot network energy savings building solutions connected power building management bms transformers din rail transformer functional devices transformer in a box ai in real estate cybersecurity data integration realcomm ibcon sustainability sensors controllers interfaces
Show All

Posts

2026
April March February January
2025
December November October September August July June May April February January
2024
November October September August July June May April March February January
2023
December November October September August July June May April March
2022