|
Index
[A]
[B]
[C]
[D]
[E]
[F]
[G]
[H]
[I]
[J] [K]
[L]
[M]
[N]
[O]
[P]
[Q] [R]
[S]
[T]
[U]
[V]
[W]
[X] [Y] [Z]
- [A] -
Advanced Metering Device(s) for recording or communicating actual electric
use during minutes, hours, days or weeks useful for time-of-day, on-peak/off-peak,
or other billing rates.
Affiliate A company that is controlled by another or that has the same owner
as another company.
Aggregator A buying group, licensed by the Public Utility Commission, that
signs up a large number of consumers to bargain on their behalf for electricity
and related services. The group "aggregates" or combines many smaller customers
into one large customer for purposes of negotiation. It purchases the electricity
as a single customer for the group.
Top of Page
- [B] -
Base Load The minimum energy level a company must provide to its customers
on a constant basis.
Basic Services Necessary for the physical delivery of service, including
generation, transmission and distribution. The monthly customer charge and the temporary
transition charge, are also basic service charges.
Broker A firm, licensed by the commission, that acts as an agent or "middle
man" in the sale and purchases of electricity but never owns the electricity and
typically does not own generating facilities.
Bulk Power Market Wholesale purchases and sales of electricity.
Top of Page
- [C] -
Chapter 56 The Public Utility Commission’s regulations that establish
rules for payment of utility bills, requests for service, payment of deposits, billing,
termination of service and complaint handling. These regulations are to protect
residential customers of regulated electric, gas, water, steam heat, and sewer companies
in Pennsylvania.
Commission The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
Consumer Contract Written agreement between a customer and a supplier.
Consumer Education Efforts to provide consumers with the skills, knowledge
and understanding to shop effectively in the new electric market.
Customer Assistance Programs (CAPS) An alternative collection method that
provides bill payment assistance to low-income payment-troubled utility customers.
Customer Charge Part of the monthly basic distribution charge to partially
cover costs for billing, meter reading, equipment, service line maintenance and
equipment. This charge is the same no matter how much electricity you use.
Top of Page
- [D] -
Daily Peak The greatest amount of electricity used during a certain period
in a day, such as one hour, half-hour or quarter-hour.
Demand The amount of electricity that customers use at any given moment or
averaged over any certain period of time. It is a measure of the rate at which customers
are using electricity.
Deregulation Removal or relaxation of regulations or controls governing a
business or service operation such as utilities.
Distribution The local wires, transformers, substations and other equipment
used to deliver electricity to end-use consumers from the high-voltage transmission
lines.
Distribution Charges Part of the basic service charges on every customer’s
bill for delivering electricity from the electric distribution company to your home
or business. The distribution charge is regulated by the Public Utility Commission.
This charge will vary according to how much electricity you use.
Distribution Line The local part of an electric system that delivers electricity
to most customers.
Distributive Power A packaged power unit located at the point of demand.
While the technology is still evolving, examples include fuel cells and photovoltaic
applications.
Top of Page
- [E] -
Electric Distribution Company (EDC) The company that owns the power lines
and equipment necessary to deliver purchased electricity to the customer.
Energy Conservation To reduce or manage energy consumption in a cost-effective
and efficient manner.
Energy Services Company (ESCO) A company offering specialized or customized
energy services by providing advice and products to reduce customer consumption
and bills.
Escape Provision A contract clause allowing a party to break a contract,
usually with a penalty.
Top of Page
- [F] -
Fixed Price A price which remains the same, usually for a set time period.
Flat Rate A fixed charge for goods and services that does not vary with changes
in the amount used, volume consumed, or units purchased.
Formal Complaint A written dispute or disagreement about a utility problem
filed by a consumer with the Public Utility Commission. A formal complaint is assigned
to an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) who holds hearings to develop a record. After
the hearings, the judge issues a decision. (See informal complaint.)
Top of Page
- [G] -
Generation Production of electricity.
Generation Charges Part of the basic service charges on every customer’s
bill for producing electricity. Generation service is competitively priced and is
not regulated by the Public Utility Commission. This charge depends on the contract
between the customer and the supplier.
Green power or Greencos See renewables.
Grid A network for the transmission of electricity throughout the state,
region or nation. The term is also used to refer to the layout of an electric distribution
system.
Gross Receipts The total revenue for a calendar year for all electric distribution
companies and electric generation suppliers which are derived from the sales of
electric energy.
Top of Page
- [H] -
Hourly Metering or Time of Use Metering Tracking or recording a customer’s
consumption during specific periods of time that can be tied to the price of energy.
Top of Page
- [I] -
Informal Complaint A dispute or disagreement about a utility problem filed
by a consumer with the Public Utility Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Services
(BCS). A BCS investigator reviews the informal complaint and provides the customer
with a response to their dispute. Most responses are in the form of a decision that
the customer or company can appeal. If an informal complaint is appealed, it becomes
a formal complaint. (See Formal Complaint.)
Intangible Transition Charge Charges to utility customers to pay for special
bonds that are used to refinance utility debt, thereby lowering overall costs for
the utility and its customers.
Interruptible Rate A special utility rate given to those who agree to have
their service reduced or temporarily stopped as part of an agreement with their
electric supplier. Circumstances for service interruptions can be periods of high
demand or high cost periods of short supply for the utility and/or system emergencies.
Investor-owned Utility A utility company owned and operated by private investors.
Top of Page
- [J] -
- [K] -
Kilowatt (kW) (1) A measure of demand for power during a preset time--minutes,
hours, days, months; (2) 1,000 watts.
Kilowatt-hour (kWh) The basic unit of electric energy for which most customers
are charged in cents per kilowatt-hour.
Top of Page
- [L] -
Load The amount of electric power required to meet customers’ use in
a given time period.
Load Profile Measurements of a customer’s electricity usage over a
period of time which shows how much and when a customer uses electricity. Load profiles
can be used by suppliers and transmission system operators to forecast electricity
supply requirements and to determine the cost of serving a customer.
Load Management Shifting use of electricity from periods of high demand to
periods of lower demand, when the cost of electricity usually is lower.
Top of Page
- [M] -
Marketer A company, licensed by the Commission, that buys and resells electricity,
but that typically does not own generating facilities.
Top of Page
- [N] -
Non Basic Services Not required for the physical delivery of electric service.
Top of Page
- [O] -
Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) A government office that represents the
interests of residential utility consumers before the Public Utility Commission
in rate and service cases and before other state and federal regulatory agencies
and courts.
Office of Small Business Advocate (OSBA) A state government office that represents
the interests of small business consumers by participating in PUC rate cases and
other state and federal regulatory cases.
Off-Peak/On-Peak Blocks of time when energy demand and price is low (off-peak)
or high (on-peak).
Top of Page
- [P] -
Pancaking The effect of adding on charges as power moves through several
transmission systems.
Pilot A utility program offering a limited group of customers their choice
of certified or licensed energy suppliers on a one year minimum trial basis.
Power Pool Combining electric power supplies. Two or more interconnected
electric systems planned and operated to supply power in the most reliable and economical
manner. (POOLCO)
Price Cap A level above which regulated prices may not rise.
Price to Compare Kilowatt-hour amount a consumer uses to compare prices and
potential savings among generation suppliers.
Provider of Last Resort The company providing generation services to those
who do not choose another supplier, are unable to find a supplier willing to serve
them or for some reason no longer receive generation services from another supplier.
Public Input Hearings Meetings where consumers can give input to the PUC.
Sworn or unsworn testimony to the PUC judge and to the utility, consumer advocate
and PUC staff. The PUC conducts hearings in the service area of the utility that
requested the rate increase. Sometimes consumers can point out problems with the
quality of the utility’s service, management, or policies which could affect
the outcome of a case.
Public Utility Code The law which sets the powers and duties of the PA Public
Utility Commission. It also sets many of the guidelines the PUC uses for utilities'
rates and service standards.
Public Utility Commission (PUC) The state regulatory agency that provides
oversight, policy guidance and direction to electric public utilities.
Top of Page
- [Q] -
- [R] -
Real-time Pricing Rates that reflect the actual moment by moment cost of
providing electricity.
Regulation A rule or law established by the federal or state government which
sets procedures that a utility must follow.
Reliability The providing of adequate and dependable generation, transmission
and distribution service.
Renewables Resources used to generate electricity that are capable of being
replaced naturally. This includes fuels and technologies such as solar photovoltaic
energy, solar thermal energy, wind power, low head hydro power, geothermal energy,
landfill and mine based methane gas, energy from waste and sustainable biomass energy.
Resellers Companies that purchase utility service from a wholesaler and resell
it to consumers.
Restructuring The reorganization of traditional monopoly electric service
to allow operations and charges to be separated or "unbundled" into generation,
transmission, distribution and other services. This permits customers to buy generation
services from competing suppliers.
Retail Wheeling Also known as retail customer choice--A utility company is
required to transport electricity from a generating plant it does not own directly
to its retail customers. This gives retail customers the ability to purchase electricity
from sources they choose.
Retail Customer Choice See Retail Wheeling
Rural Electric Cooperative Customer-owned electric utility that distributes
electricity to members and that receives lower-cost financing through the federal
government.
Top of Page
- [S] -
Securitization A method of refinancing existing utility debt and equity,
that results in lower financing costs which are passed on to the utilities’
customers.
Shopping Credit Kilowatt-hour amount a consumer uses to compare prices and
potential savings among generation suppliers.
Spot Market Short-term purchases of electricity from surpluses available
for a short time.
Stranded investments or stranded costs A utility investment,
such as in facility and equipment, that is not supported by market prices.
Supplier(Electric Generation Supplier--EGS) A person or corporation, generator, broker,
marketer, aggregator or any other entity, that sells electricity to customers, using
the transmission or distribution facilities of an electric distribution company
(EDC).
Top of Page
- [T] -
Terms of Service Content of the agreement between a customer and a supplier.
Title 52 The section of the Pennsylvania Code that governs utilities.
Transition Charge
A temporary charge on every customer’s bill designed to recover an electric
utility’s transition or stranded costs set by the Public Utility Commission.
Most of this charge is not new; it has always been part of your rates.
Transmission
Interconnecting electric lines which move high voltage electricity from a generation
facility to the distribution lines of an electric distribution company.
Transmission
Charges Part of the basic service charges on every customer’s bill
for transporting electricity from the source of supply to the electric distribution
company. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regulates retail transmission
prices and services. This charge will vary with your source of supply.
Top of Page
- [U] -
Unbundling Breaking down electric services offered into parts so each part
can be billed separately.
Universal Service Policies, protections and services
that help low-income customers maintain electric service.
Utility Competition
Two or more electric suppliers offering the same or similar goods or services in
the same market place.
Top of Page
- [V] -
Variable Price A price which can change, by the hour, day, month etc.
Top of Page
- [W] -
Weatherization Modifying a home or building to conserve energy. Methods include:
sealing window and doorframes with caulking or gaskets, installing storm doors and
windows, and adding or increasing the insulation.
Wheeling The transmission
of power that has been generated by one entity over the lines of another utility
system.
Wholesale Competition A market structure in which wholesale buyers
can choose their electricity suppliers. Wholesale buyers, such as investor-owned
utilities, municipal utilities, cooperatives, and other energy suppliers, resell
the electricity to their retail customers.
Top of Page
- [X] -- [Y] -- [Z] -
Top of Page
|
Home
Natural Gas
Telecommunications
Water/Wastewater
Transportation & Safety
