Electricity Glossary of Terms
A B C D E F G H K L M O P R S T Z
Area Boards
Are privatisations predecessors of Regional Electricity Companies (REC's) who marketed the electricity to customers in the UK regions.
Availability Charge
A charge for the amount of electricity held in reserve (see Service Capacity) levied monthly in £ per KVA. It should not normally be expected for a site to have availability in excess of 120% of MD.
Base Load
Continuously produced or used electricity all year round.
BETTA
British Electricity Transmission and Trading Arrangements, a common set of rules to allow transmission and trading of electricity across the whole of Great Britain. (excludes Northern Ireland).
Carbon Trading
The ability to trade (both sale and purchase) within the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EUTS).
Code of Practice Five Metering (C5)
Half-hourly metering standard for the 100 KW to 1 MW market. (Remote reading via telecom link).
Code of Practice Three Metering (C3)
Half-hourly metering standard for the over 1 MW market. (Remote reading via telecom link).
Connection Agreement
Contracts agreeing terms for a customer’s use of the local REC's distribution system.
Consumption
Amount of KWh (units) recorded by meter, for a given period of time i.e. monthly, quarterly.
Data Collector
The company who collects half-hourly data via a modem attached to a half-hourly meter.
Demand Profile
A profile of the peaks and troughs of demands usually displayed graphically on a bar graph.
Demand Profile Recorder (DPR)
Records consumption and demands when attached to a supply, again pictorially.
Distribution Network Operator (DNO)
Local low voltage wires business.
Distribution Use of System (DUOS)
These charges are levied by the REC's, published, and form part of the cost of supply contracts for use of the 'local system'.
Energy Rate
The negotiable element of power costs, which can be isolated when receiving quotes.
ENT Points
The common reference given to the metering system in any building(s).
First Tier Supply
Host REC supplying companies in their area are First Tier Suppliers.
Flexible (or variable) Contracts
Energy contracts that allow purchases of energy at the prevailing rate throughout the contract period.
Fossil Fuel Levy
This was to provide money for the decommissioning of the older nuclear power stations. This is now zero rated having originally been set at 10%.
Generation
The production of electricity.
Gigawatt
1,000 megawatts.
Grid Supply Point (GSP)
The point that the local supply is taken from the National Grid. Prices can be built up from energy only prices calculated at GSP.
Half-Hourly Data
Data collected from the meter every half hour. This information can be collected and produced in many forms and helps customers and REC's to understand their supplies.
High Voltage
The level at which electricity is supplied along transmission lines - high voltage is anything above 415 volts.
Higher Distribution Cost Levy
As a result of BETTA the higher distribution cost in the North of Scotland, is being shared by all suppliers. Most supply companies include this charge within their prices however there are still a couple of suppliers that pass this additional cost onto the end user by showing this as an extra charge
Host REC
The electricity company that is the holder of the first tier license for a specific area. i.e. the local electricity company to a supply.
Hours Use
A term used within the industry to describe the relationship between the consumption (measured in kWH) and demand (measured in KW/KVA). The formula is:-
Consumptions/Demand = Hours Use
KVA
Kilovolt Amperes. Units of measurement for availability and, in some cases, maximum demand.
KW
(kilowatt) measurement of maximum demand. Used to determine consumption thresholds for access to the competitive market.
KWh
(kilowatt hour) measurement of energy consumed, referred to as 'units'.
Load
An industry term for the amount of power a supply is running, at any given time.
Load Factor
The time a site would be operating at maximum power to use the volume of units consumed expressed as a percentage.
Load Management
The shedding of load to reduce consumption/demand.
Load Profile
Measurement of site electricity consumptions over time, typically illustrated graphically.
Low Voltage
Transmission supply voltage below 415 volts.
Maximum Demand
The highest demand recorded at a site measured in KW.
Megawatt
Is 1,000 KW - the consumption threshold for access to the competitive market from April 1990.
Meter Operator
Nominated by the customer to install (where necessary), maintain and operate C3 and C5 meters, for the competitive market.
Monitoring & Targeting (M&T)
Consumption shown in a series of graphs to enable monitoring of energy usage, together with targeting of areas of abnormal use.
MPAN Number
'Meter Point Administration Number' given to all meters as a reference.
OFGEM
The Office For Gas and Electricity Markets - the regulator of the competitive industry with power to protect and adjudicate in disputes.
Pass Through Costs
Contract terminology; costs that are passed onto the customer in the supply contract with no profit increase.
Peak Charge Period
A set time period of the day (usually seasonal) when a REC charges for electricity at a very high rate.
Power Factor
Measures the ratio of KW/KVA. The industry standard is 0.9 - any lower is likely to incur reactive power charges.
Regional Electricity Company (REC)
14 privatised successors of the area boards with regional distributors and tariff monopolies.
Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROC’s)
A ‘green’ certificate issued for eligible renewable electricity generated in the UK. One ROC is issued for each MWh of output.
Second Tier Supply
A supply that is on contract with an electricity company other than it's host REC.
Service Capacity
An amount of electricity, measured in KVA per KW that is held in reserve for a supply by the host electricity company. The charge for the 'service capacity' is made on a monthly basis.
Settlements
The terms used for the collection and handling of a site's consumption data so that billing can be accomplished.
Smart Meters
Meters that automaticeally record and transmit electricity consumption data in the sub100KW market.
Standard Time of Day (STOD)
See T.O.D, terminology for multi levied charge tariff. Usually with a seasonal bias i.e. charges higher during the winter period between 4-7 pm (called system peak demand times).
Supply Contract
Signed between a customer in the competitive market and supplier for the supply of electricity over a given contract period.
Tenders
A request for the REC's to quote for a supply contract. Part of the request is the tender document giving all the necessary information.
Terawatt
1,000 Gigawatt.
Termination Notice
The notice period to cancel existing contracts can be one/three months.
The National Grid
A nationwide network of transmission cables designed to carry electricity throughout the country from generator(s) to points of supply.
TOD
'Time of Day', term used in tariff work to describe a type of multi prices (according to time of day) structure.
Transformer
Electrical apparatus used to change from high voltage supply to low voltage supply.
Transmission
The 275 KV and 400 KV national network for bulk movements of power.
Transmission Use of System (TUOS)
The charges that are levied by the National Grid company for the use of the bulk distribution system by REC's and Customers.
Triad
The system peak demand in a year against which transmission charges for England and Wales are calculated.
Zone
Areas of the country given by the National Grid, so as to clearly define areas of supply.
