Glossary of Terms
Aggregator
A person, local government, or organization that brings a group together to buy electricity in bulk. Aggregators seek to bring together customers or generators so they can buy or sell power in bulk, generally making a profit on the transaction.
Commercial Customer
For the Switch & Support program's purposes, a commercial customer is any size commercial, industrial, or agricultural business. Size is not a factor in this designation and home businesses qualify.
Deregulation
The elimination of regulation from a previously regulated industry or sector of an industry. Specific to energy, through deregulation the utility industry is split into multiple parts including transportation, generation, and supply.
Distribution
The delivery of electricity to the retail customer's home or business through distribution lines.
Energy Efficiency
Using less energy/electricity to perform the same function.
Generation
Production of electricity in a power plant.
Green-e Energy
Green-e Energy is the nation's leading independent certification and verification program for renewable energy. Green-e Energy sets consumer protection and environmental standards for renewable electricity products. The Green-e Energy label certifies that the power is from an eligible renewable energy resource.
Independent System Operation (ISO)
A neutral operator responsible for maintaining instantaneous balance of the grid system. The ISO performs its function by controlling the dispatch of flexible plants to ensure that loads match resources available to the system.
Interval Meter
An electricity meter that records a customer's electric usage for defined intervals (e.g., 5 minutes, 15 minutes, half-hour, etc.). This will allow the possibility for consumption during different time periods to be billed at different rates and provide a means for a customer's load pattern to be analyzed.
Kilowatt-Hour (kWh)
The most commonly-used unit of measure telling the amount of electricity consumed over time. It means, literally, one thousand watts an hour. For example, a 100-watt light bulb burning for 10 hours equals 1kWh.
Leed Certfication
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) was developed to act as a national benchmark in the design, construction and operation of environmentally friendly buildings. LEED provides a framework and checklist for new and existing structures desiring to meet set benchmark standards. Green-e certified RECs can be used to gain credits under LEED.
Load Factor
LOAD FACTOR - A percent telling the difference between the amount of electricity a consumer used during a given time span and the amount that would have been used if the usage had stayed at the consumer's highest demand level during the whole time. The term also is used to mean the percentage of capacity of an energy facility - such as power plant or gas pipeline - that is utilized in a given period of time.
Load Profile
Measurements of a customer’s electricity usage over a period of time that 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.
Local Electric Utility
Generally used in describing the company that delivers your electricity to your home or business.
Meter Read Date
The date on which the Local Electric Utility schedules a meter to be read for purposes of producing a customer bill. This is the effective date of any switch to a third-party supplier.
OCC
The Ohio Consumers' Counsel – providing support for Ohio's public utility customers.
www.state.oh.us/cons
www.state.oh.us/cons
OEUI
The Ohio Electric Utility Institute – trade organization of Ohio's electric companies.
http://www.oeui.org/
http://www.oeui.org/
Price-to-Compare
The price a supplier would have to beat in order for a customer to save money. The price-to-compare will be shown on electric bills and can be used to compare offers from suppliers.
PUCO
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio – providing consumer education, protecting your rights, and ensuring that you have safe and reliable service.
http://www.puc.state.oh.us/
http://www.puc.state.oh.us/
Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is energy generated by sources that naturally replenish themselves. The most popular types of renewable energy are solar, hydro, wind, geothermal, and biomass. These sources produce much less pollution and greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas. Renewable resources can be found locally and can increase energy security. Over time the use of renewable energy cna reduce volatility in natural gas markets.
Renewable Energy Certificates (RECS)
A REC represents the environmental attributes of one megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity generated from renewable resources delivered somewhere on the power grid. RECs make it easy for a buyer to purchase green power because they can be sold separately from electricity. They can be purchased from a variety of locations and energy sources, and the REC purchase can be based on any amount of electricity. Buying RECs provides support to renewable resources.
Restructuring
The reconfiguration of the vertically-integrated electric utility. Restructuring usually refers to separation of the various utility functions into individually-operated and -owned entities.
Sponsor
Organizations that promote the Switch & Support program and are rewarded by receiving residual revenue for each supporter who participates.
Standard Service Offer
A rate offered to customers in a service area for all competitive retail electric services. This is the rate needed for comparing the generation charge to that of an alternative generation supplier.
Supplier
A person, 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. Generation suppliers in Ohio will be consider "certified" in that they must be licensed by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to sell electricity to customers and enrolled in The Ohio Choice program.
Transmission
Interconnecting electric lines that move high voltage electricity from where it is produced to the point of distribution to customers.
Unbundling
Breaking down services offered into parts so each part can be billed separately. For example, generation, transmission and distribution could be unbundled and offered as discrete services.