Electricity Glossary
Base Charge
A charge assessed during each billing cycle without regard to the customer's demand or energy consumption.
Demand Charge
A charge based on the rate at which electric energy is delivered to or by a system at a given instant, or averaged over a designated period, during the billing cycle.
ERCOT – Electricity Reliability Council of Texas
ERCOT operates the huge electric grid and manages the deregulated market. They make sure there is ample energy in the grid at all times to supply demand.
Energy Charge
A charge based on the electric energy (kWh) consumed.
ESI or ESIID – Electric Service Identifier ID
This is a number which identifies the service location. It never changes and will always identify that specific geographic location, even if a meter is changed or removed.
PUC or PUCT – Public Utility Commission of Texas
This is the governing body that makes electricity rules in the state of Texas. They have authority over everything from generation to retail.
REP – Retail Electric Provider
A REP sells electricity to retail customers in the areas of Texas that have been deregulated. A REP buys wholesale electricity, delivery service, and related services, prices electricity for customers, and sells electricity to retail customers.
TDU – Transmission and Distribution Utility
Refers to the company responsible for delivering electricity to homes and businesses over the poles and wires. In Texas, TDUs maintain the electrical infrastructure, restore power outages, and read meters, but they do not sell electricity.
kW
Kilowatt, the standard unit for measuring electricity demand, equal to 1,000 watts.
kWh - Kilowatt Hour
kWh – Kilowatt Hour Kilowatt-hour, the standard unit for measuring electricity energy consumption, equal to 1,000 watt-hours.
EFL – Electricity Facts Label
A document provided with any product which clearly states the average rate at 500 kWH, 1000 kWh and 2000 kWH usages. The rates should include ALL recurring charges that you will incur.