Electric Charge
Bills, Bills, Bills
Industry Insider
Miscellaneous
100

At least 3 electricity cost components.

Energy, Capacity, Transmission, Ancillary, RPS, Line Losses, Other (GRT, SUT, CES, ZEC, CPES, TOTS, TEC)

100

A system in which a third party (typically a utility or delivery company) assumes the risk in a commodity transaction. This typically expedites credit approval.

What is Purchase of Receivables (POR)?

100

An entity that arranges the sale and purchase of electric energy, transmission, and other services between buyers and sellers, but does not take title to any of the power sold.

What is a broker?

100

An electrical device for changing the voltage of alternating current.

What is a transformer?

200

The amount of electric power delivered or required for which a generator, turbine, transformer, transmission circuit, station, or system is rated by the manufacturer.

What is capacity?

200

An entity that provides electric service to a retail or end-use customer.

What is an Electric Service Provider?

200

The federal body that regulates interstate transmission of gas and electricity.

What is the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)?

200

A specified period of time for which customers must remain on utility/default supply after establishing a new account or being returned to utility/default supply.

What is minimum stay?

300

It refers to the cost and/or process of building and maintaining transmission poles and wires to transport electricity from generating facilities to the grid.

What is transmission (NITS)?

300

The rate at which electric energy is consumed by a customer at a given instant or averaged over any designated period of time. It is typically expressed in kW or MW.

What is demand?

300

Any marketer, broker, public agency, city, county, or special district that combines the loads of multiple end-use customers in facilitating the sale and purchase of electric energy, transmission, and other services on behalf of these customers.

What is an aggregator?

300

The amount of electric power delivered or required at any specific point or points on a system. The requirement originates at the energy-consuming equipment of the consumers.

What is load?

400

Necessary services that must be provided in the generation and delivery of electricity

What are ancillary services?

400

The maximum load during a specified period of time.

What is peak demand?

400

Arrangement through a contract for the delivery of a commodity at a future time and at a price specified at the time of purchase. The price is based on an auction or market basis. This is a standardized, exchange-traded, and government regulated hedging mechanism.

What is the futures market?

400

The layout of an electrical distribution system.

What is the grid?

500

In capacity markets (non-ERCOT), each customer is assigned THIS based upon their level of usage when the system reaches peak demand. This usually, but not always, occurs on the hottest day of the summer.

What is Capacity Peak Load Contribution (Cap PLC or ICAP)?

500

A corporation, person, agency, authority, or other legal entity or instrumentality that owns and/or operates facilities within the United States, its territories, or Puerto Rico for the generation, transmission, distribution, or sale of electric energy primarily for use by the public.

What is a utility?

500

An independent, federally-regulated entity that coordinates regional transmission in a non-discriminatory manner and ensures the safety and reliability of the electric system.

What is an Independent System Operator (ISO)?

500

Allowing all customers to purchase kilowatt-hours of electricity from any of a number of companies that compete with each other.

What is customer choice?