Final answer:
The quality of air conditioners is judged by the ratio of energy transferred by heat from a hot environment relative to work output, known as the Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER). HVAC specialists assess the heat from equipment and users when calculating cooling requirements, and heat pumps can both heat and cool by transferring energy between environments.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer to the question is c. The quality by which air conditioners are judged is based on the amount of energy transferred by heat from a hot environment, compared with the required work output. This involves the concept of Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER), which indicates how many British thermal units (BTU) of heat are moved from a cold environment per hour, divided by the watts of power input. In determining the air conditioning requirements, an HVAC specialist will indeed consider the heat generated by both the equipment and the end users, which is critical for calculating the total cooling load. This includes various factors, such as the ambient heat of the room, the heat produced by devices and machinery, and the body heat from individuals occupying the space. The heat pump is a versatile device capable of both heating and cooling a space since it can transfer energy from a cold environment to a warmer one during the heating mode, and vice versa for cooling. However, it's interesting to note that cooling by removing heat is relatively more recent in human history, demonstrating our increasing technological ability to manipulate thermal energy.