ENERGY ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

Location:
ENERGY;
Scope:
Connecticut laws/regulations;


January 11, 2011		2011-R-0019
ENERGY ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

By: Kevin McCarthy, Principal Analyst

You asked for a chart of energy acronyms and abbreviations, which we present in Table 1. We provide links to the websites of the agencies and entities described in the first part of the table (click the acronym while holding down the “control” key to go to the website).

Table 1: Energy Acronyms and Abbreviations


*Acronym or* *Abbreviation*	*Term*	*Explanation*
Agencies and Entities
CEAB	Connecticut Energy Advisory Board	Advisory body responsible for reviewing the procurement plans submitted by electric companies and representing the state in regional energy planning, among other things.
CII	Connecticut Innovations, Inc.	A quasi-public agency that administers the state's Clean Energy Fund, among other things.
CMEEC	Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative	A nonprofit organization that purchases power and provides other services to the state's municipal electric utilities.
DEP	Department of Environmental Protection	The state agency that regulates air emissions and water discharges from power plants and issues water diversion permits.
DPUC	Department of Public Utility Control	Regulates public service (utility) companies, including electric, gas, and water companies. Among its responsibilities are setting rates and licensing competitive electric suppliers.
ECMB	Energy Conservation Management Board	Also called the Energy Efficiency Board, this group reviews electric and gas company efficiency plans and budgets.
FERC	Federal Energy Regulatory Commission	FERC regulates the wholesale electric and gas markets and licenses hydropower facilities.
ISO-New England	Independent System Operator-New England	ISO-New England administers the regional wholesale electric market. It is responsible for dispatching (turning on and off) power plants and other resources to meet electric demand in the region.
NRC	Nuclear Regulatory Commission	Federal agency that licenses and regulates the operation of nuclear power plants, among other things.
NU	Northeast Utilities	Parent company of Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) and Yankee Gas Services, as well as utilities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
OCC	Office of Consumer Counsel	OCC represents ratepayer interest in DPUC and federal proceedings.
OPM	Office of Policy and Management	OPM has several energy responsibilities, including purchasing electricity and gas for state agencies and tracking energy prices.
UIL	UIL Holdings Corporation	Parent company of United Illuminating (UI), Connecticut Natural Gas, and Southern Connecticut Gas.
Units of Energy and Related Concepts
BTU	British Thermal Unit	The amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree. A kilowatt-hour of electricity equals 3,412 BTUs, a cubic foot of natural gas contains about 1,030 BTUs, and there are about 112,000 BTUs in a gallon of gasoline.
kv	Kilovolt	A unit of electric force. Most transmission lines in Connecticut operate at a capacity of 115 to 345 kv.
kwh	Kilowatt-hour	The amount of electricity used by 10 one-hundred watt light bulbs in one hour. A typical Connecticut residential consumer uses about 700 kwh per month.
mcf	1,000 cubic feet of natural gas	Unit of measurement for natural gas. A typical residential customer in Connecticut uses about 65 mcf per year.
MW	Megawatt	A unit of electric generating capacity. A commercial power plant typically has a capacity of 500 to 1,000 MWs.
T&D	Transmission and distribution	Electric transmission systems move power at high voltage for long distances, primarily from generating plants to substations. Distribution systems move power at lower voltages from substations to homes and businesses.
Charges on Electric and Natural Gas Bills
CTA	Competitive transition assessment	The part of a consumer's electric bill used to cover the electric company's stranded costs i.e., costs that had previously been approved by DPUC (primarily for power plants) whose continued recovery was jeopardized by the start of competition in the electric industry.
ERRB	Economic recovery revenue bonds	Under PA 10-179, these bonds will be issued to help balance the state's budget. The bonds will be repaid by a charge on electric bills, affecting CL&P customers starting July 2011 and UI customers in late 2013.
FMCC	Federally-mandated congestion charges	Charges on an electric bill that are related to congestion on the state's transmission system, including the costs of programs designed to reduce congestion.
GSC	Generation service component	The part of an electric company's or competitive supplier's bill that reflects its costs in buying power on the wholesale market.
SBC	Systems benefit charge	A charge to cover the cost of implementing various public policies affecting electric companies, such as the winter shut-off moratorium. On electric bills, the SBC is included in the combined public benefits charge, which also includes 0.3 cents per kwh for energy efficiency programs and 0.1 cents per kwh for renewable energy programs.
CAM	Conservation adjustment mechanism	A charge on gas bills that is used to fund gas efficiency programs.
PGA	Purchased gas adjustment	A mechanism that adjusts gas rates up or down depending on changes in the cost of gas purchased by the gas company. On gas bills, the adjustment is reflected in the supply charge.
Other Acronyms and Abbreviations
CHP	Combined heat and power	A type of technology, also called cogeneration, that uses the steam produced in electric generation for heating.
DG	Distributed generation	Small scale power production facilities, often located on a customer's premises. An example of a “customer-side DG” facility would be a generator located in a factory. In contrast, “grid-side DG” facilities are located at substations and other electric distribution facilities.
FCM	Forward capacity market	Auction mechanism used by ISO-New England that seeks to ensure that there are sufficient resources (generating capacity and demand-side measures) to meet New England's electric demand.
GHG	Greenhouse gases	Gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, that contribute to global climate change.
IRP	Integrated resources plan	The law requires electric companies to prepare these plans, which are subject to review by the CEAB and approval by DPUC. In the plans, the electric companies must determine their future demand and plan to meet this demand through a cost-effective mix of efficiency measures and power purchases.
LDC	Local distribution companies	Natural gas companies (Connecticut Natural Gas, Southern Connecticut Gas, and Yankee Gas Services)
LIHEAP	Low income home energy assistance program	A federal program that helps low income consumers pay their energy bills. LIHEAP funds the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program.
PA 98-28	Public Act 98-28	Legislation adopted in 1998 that restructured the electric industry to allow consumers to choose an electric supplier other than their electric company. The act also established the Clean Energy Fund and Energy Efficiency Fund. Often called the “dereg bill”.
PV	Photovoltaic	Solar energy technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity.
REC	Renewable energy credit	Credits earned by renewable energy generators that are bought and sold in the wholesale electric market to facilitate compliance with the renewable portfolio standard.
RGGI	Regional greenhouse gas initiative	An initiative by Connecticut and other northeastern states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants using a “cap-and-trade” mechanism.
RPS	Renewable portfolio standard	A state requirement that electric companies and competitive suppliers get part of their power from renewable resources. There are specific requirements for three classes of resources. In 2011, the companies and suppliers must get 7% of their power from class I resources such as solar, wind, or fuel cell energy; this proportion increases in steps to 20% in 2020.

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