| Ampere |
unit of measurement of electric current, akin to cubic feet of water flowing per second.
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| Base Load |
the nearly steady level of demand on a utility system.
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| British Thermal Unit (Btu) |
standard unit of heat measurement, equal to raising one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit at sea level pressure.
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| Capacity |
the load for which an electric generating unit, other electrical equipment or power line is rated.
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| Certificate of Convenience and Necessity |
a term used by public service commissions in granting authority to a company to render utility service, usually specifying the area and other conditions of service.
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| Cogeneration |
joint production of electricity and useful heat/steam from a common source.
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| Conductor |
any material (such as a power line) that allows its electrons to be easily transferred.
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| Demand charge |
a separate charge based upon the demand for electric service by a commercial or industrial customer, based on the investment in facilities necessary to serve them.
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| Distribution lines |
power lines, like those in neighborhoods, used to carry moderate voltage electricity which is "stepped down" to household levels by transformers on power poles.
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| Electricity |
the motion of electrons through a conductor.
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| Electrostatic precipitators |
pollution control devices attached to fossil fuel generating plants which prevent the vast majority of fly ash from being released into the air.
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| Eminent domain |
the authority to acquire land from a private owner for the benefit of public use.
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| Fly ash |
small particles of airborne ash produced by burning fossil fuels.
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| Franchise fee |
a local tax imposed on utilities for the privilege of providing a service within city limits.
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| Fuel adjustment clause |
an annual adjustment in rates based on changes in the price of fuel used to generate electricity.
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| High voltage |
voltage greater than 100,000 volts.
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| Kilowatt (kW) |
1,000 watts. |
| Kilowatt-hour (kWH) |
a unit of electricity consumption. A kilowatt-hour equals the amount of electricity needed to burn ten, 100-watt light bulbs for one hour.
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| Kilovolt (kV) |
1,000 volts. |
| Load |
the total customer demand for electric service at any given time.
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| Megawatt (mW) |
one million watts or 1,000 kilowatts.
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| Natural monopoly |
when the cost of utility service, such as gas, water or electric service, is minimized to customers if a single enterprise is the only seller in the market.
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| Off-system sales |
sales by a utility to a customer (usually another utility) outside of its authorized market.
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| Peak demand |
a one hour period in a year representing the highest point of customer consumption of electricity.
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| Power pool |
a regional organization of electric companies interconnected for the sharing of reserve generating capacity.
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| Public utility |
a business enterprise rendering a service considered essential to the public and, as such, subject to regulation.
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| Scrubbers |
equipment designed to reduce sulfur emissions from coal-fired generating plants.
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| Service area |
the territory in which a utility has the right to supply service.
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| Substation |
a facility where the voltage of electricity is reduced prior to distribution to customers.
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| Transformer |
equipment vital to the transmission and distribution of electricity designed to increase or decrease voltage.
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| Transmission lines |
power lines normally used to carry high voltage electricity to substations which then is "stepped down" for distribution to individual customers.
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| Volt* |
the unit of electromotive force or electric pressure, akin to water pressure in pounds per square inch.
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| Watt* |
the electrical unit of power or rate of doing work.
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| *The difference between a watt and a volt can be visualized by imagining water flowing through a hose into a bucket. Voltage is similar to the water pressure in the hose and wattage is the amount of water going into the bucket. |
