What is Delta T?

It can be frustrating to hear a reference to something and not understand what they are talking about. For this reason we want to explain what Delta T is in relation to the heating industry.

While no one expects you to remember the Greek alphabet in its entirety, unless you were educated in Greece of course, the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet, delta, is used so widely in Western scientific circles that it has become some what recognizable. The real problem with the letter, denoted by a small triangular character, is that most people don’t even realize they are using it.

The symbol is known and widely used by mathematicians, engineers, physicists and all manner of other scientists as it is used to denote the change in any statically defined system. In fact, in scientific and engineering circles, the term “delta” is often used interchangeably with the word “change.”

The ubiquitous term, “delta T,” is just one such instance of this general inclination. In this instance, “delta” refers to the change while the letter “T” stand for temperature. As such, the phrase “delta T” simply defines the change in temperature over a certain, defined period of time.

If this all seems like “Greek to you,” don’t worry, there are plenty of other people in the same boat. Just remember that when it comes to heating systems, delta T is simply the difference between the current temperature and desired one.

For more information on custom heating systems, visit us at www.heatrex.com.