| Actual load | The hour average load of equipment at any period of time. |
| ASHRAE 90.1-1999 | Refers to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1-1999, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. ASHRAE Standard 90.1-1999 is written in mandatory, enforceable language, which federal, state and local government agencies can adopt into their building codes. |
| Automatic adjustment clause | Allows utilities to increase or decrease its rates to cover costs of specific items without a formal hearing before a utilities commission. |
| Ballast | An auxiliary device used with an electrical discharge lamp(s) to obtain the necessary circuit conditions (voltage, current, and wave form) for the proper starting and operation of a particular fluorescent lamp(s) from a particular line voltage and frequency. |
| Ballast factor | The percentage of light output produced when a fluorescent lamp(s) is energized from a commercially available ballast as compared to the light output produced when energized from a reference ballast. Ballast factor tests are run in accordance with ANSI C82.2. |
| Base load | The minimum quantity of electric power or gas delivered over a given period of time; also known as the minimum demand on the system. Does not include peak usage. |
| Bioenergy | The US Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network (EREN) describes bioenergy as energy resulting from use of renewable biomass resources such as wood and animal wastes. |
| Biomass | The US Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network (EREN) describes biomass as "...any plant-derived organic matter available on a renewable basis, including dedicated energy crops and trees, agricultural food and feed crops, agricultural crop wastes and residues, wood wastes and residues, aquatic plants, animal wastes, municipal wastes, and other waste materials." |
| British thermal unit (BTU) | The standard unit for measuring quantity of heat energy. The amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. |
| Brownout | Sporadic power outages and/or voltage fluctuations resulting from intermittent or curtailed power supply. |
Building Automation systems | A programmed computer that controls electrified equipment within a facility. See also Industrial Automation under products. |
| Candela (cd) | A unit of luminous intensity (strength) from a light source or lighting system. |
| Capacity | The ability of a power plant to produce a given output of electric energy at an instant in time. Electric capacity is measured in kilowatts, megawatts, or gigawatts. |
| Cogeneration | Electric and thermal energy produced simultaneously from a common fuel source. The energy produced at a cogeneration facility can be used to meet its own electrical needs or may be sold to an electric utility. |
| Compact fluorescent | A small fluorescent lamp that may be used in place of lesser-efficient incandescent lamps. The lamp life is significantly longer than incandescent lamps. See also Lighting under Products. |
Conservation | Reducing energy consumption and energy waste via one or more of these strategies: - Attaining higher efficiency in energy production and utilization,
- Accommodating behavior to maximize personal welfare in response to changing prices, and
- Shifting from scarce to more plentiful energy resources.
See also: energy efficiency. More>> |
| Demand-side management | Achieving energy use reductions through conservation rather than changing or controlling the supply of the energy source. |
Distributed Generation (DG) | Refers to small-scale stationary applications of electric generating technologies. Distributed power units may be owned by electric or gas utilities, by industrial, commercial, institutional or residential energy consumers, or by independent energy producers. They include generating technologies such as diesel engines, fuel cells, small and "micro" gas turbines, solar PV, and wind turbines, and may be combined with electric storage technologies such as batteries and flywheels. Definition courtesy of: The California Energy Commission. More>> |
| Distribution | Delivery of electricity from the transmission system to the end-user. Distribution of electricity is regulated by state governments. |
Efficiency | See energy efficiency. |
| Electronic ballast | A ballast which uses semi-conductor components to increase the frequency of fluorescent lamp operation. Fluorescent system efficiency is increased due to the higher frequency. See also Lighting under Products. |
EMS | Energy Management System. See Building Automation systems. |
Energy | Energy is the capacity for doing work as measured by the capability of doing work (potential energy) or the conversion of this capability to motion (kinetic energy). Energy has several forms, some of which are easily convertible and can be changed to another form useful for work. The output of electricity-generating plants measured in kilowatthours. |
Energy efficiency | Efficiency means getting the same or better service while using fewer resources. See related term: conservation. |
EPACT | Energy Policy Act of 1992. Click here to see the full text of the Act. |
FERC | The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, established in 1977, regulates the sale, transportation, and price of natural gas and wholesale electric power transmitted via interstate commerce. |
| Fluorescent lamp | A low pressure mercury electric-discharge lamp in which a fluorescing coating (phosphor) transforms a portion of the ultraviolet energy generated by the arc discharge into visible light. |
| Footcandle | The unit of illuminance at a point one foot distance from a one candela source. |
| Fuel cell | A fuel cell can be defined as an electrochemical energy conversion device converting hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and heat. The fuel cell provides a direct current voltage that can be used to power various electrical devices including motors and lights. |
| Geothermal | Renewable energy (heat) generated by the earth, such as geysers, molten rock and steam spouts. |
| Gigawatt (GW) | A unit of electric power equal to one billion watts, or one thousand megawatts. |
| Greenhouse effect | Solar radiation is absorbed by the earth, converted to heat, and trapped near the earth's surface. |
| Greenhouse gases | Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrocarbons, and chlorofluorocarbons. More>> |
| HID | High intensity discharge. A type of lamp that may consist of mercury vapor, metal halide, high pressure sodium, or low pressure sodium. See also Lighting under Products. |
| Hydropower | Energy created by capturing flowing water, such as by a dam or river. One common type of hydropower involves using a dam to capture water, which is then stored in a reservoir. When released from the reservoir, water flows through and spins a turbine, creating electricity. |
| Illuminance (E) | The quantity of light at one point on a surface. Illuminance equals Lumen/square foot. |
| Integrated resource planning (IRP) | A process used by electric utilities to plan for future resource needs. Key components include long-term forecasts of power needs; a comprehensive evaluation of supply- and demand-side resource options; and public review. |
| Kilowatt (kW) | One thousand volts. Measures electric capacity or load. |
| Kilowatthour (kWH) | One thousand watts of consumption for one hour. Electric bills are measured in kilowatthours. |
| Light-loss factor | The product of all considered items that contribute to a lighting system's depreciated light output over a period of time. |
| Load | The amount of electric power or gas delivered at any specified point or points on a system. |
| Load factor | The ratio of average-to-peak day use calculated over a specific period of time, such as a day, month, or year. |
| Load management | Techniques used by utilities to reduce daily and/or seasonal fluctuations in customer demand. |
| Lumen | A lumen is a unit of measurement of the total light output from a specific source. One lumen is the amount of light emitted in a solid angle of 1 sr, from a source that radiates to an equal extent in all directions, and whose intensity is 1 candela. |
| Luminaire | A complete lighting unit consisting of a lamp or lamps and ballast(s) together with the parts designed to distribute the light, to position and protect the lamps, and to connect the lamps through the ballast(s) to the power supply. See also Lighting, Luminaires under Products. |
| Luminaire efficacy | A mathematical method of determining the rated efficacy of a luminaire. |
| Luminaire efficiency | The ratio of total lumen output of a luminaire and the lumen output of the lamps, expressed as a percentage. |
| Megawatt (MW) | A unit of electric power equal to one million watts, or one thousand kilowatts. |
| Metering | Collection of energy or water consumption data over a period of time. See also Power Equipment, Electrical Measuring Equipment under Products. |
| NERC | Since its formation in 1968, the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) has operated as a voluntary organization to promote bulk electric system reliability and security - one dependent on reciprocity, peer pressure, and the mutual self-interest of all those involved. |
| Peak day | The day of highest customer demand for electricity during a year. |
| Peak demand | The maximum level of operating requirements customer usage places on the system during a specified time. |
| Peak load | The maximum amount of power delivered (load) for a given time period. |
| Peak shaving | Techniques used by electric utilities to lower the peak demand on the system. |
PUC | Public Utility Commission. An administrative body that regulates public utilities at the state or municipal level. View list of state commissions. |
| PURPA | PURPA refers to the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978. The Act was signed into law on November 9, 1978. Enacted as part of a package of legislation proposed by President Carter to combat the "energy crisis," and the perceived shortage of natural gas, PURPA's primary purposes were to promote conservation (through cogeneration of both steam and electricity) and to encourage greater use of alternative sources of power generation. |
Renewable energy | Energy sources that are derived from the sun or other natural processes and which can be naturally replenished. These include: - Bioenergy
- Hydrogen
- Ocean
- Wind
- Geothermal
- Hydropower
- Solar More>>
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| RTO | Regional Transmission Organizations are regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). |
| Supply-side management | Steps utilities take to manage their generating and transmission facilities for maximum efficiency. |
| T & D | The Transmission and Distribution of electric power. |
Therm | One hundred thousand British thermal units. |
| Transmission | The movement of large quantities of electric energy. |
| Variable loads | Power-consuming equipment that requires different energy needs over time. |
| Volt (v) | The unit of electric potential or electromotive force. In other words, voltage measures the relative power of an electrical power source. A 220-Volt electric line delivers twice the power of a 110-Volt line. |
| Watt (W) | The unit for measuring electric power. The rate of energy consumption by an electrical device when it is in operation. |
