Glossary
of Gas Terms
A
glossary of often-used gas terms for
consumers, regulators and industry personnel, as
compiled by PA PUC Commission and Association staff.
Actual
Reading - The reading from your gas meter.
Adjusted
or Corrected Reading - An
amount shown on the bill to
correct
too much or not enough use from a prior reading.
Aggregation
- A
group that buys natural gas to obtain lower prices
for
a number of customers.
Aggregator
or Market Aggregator - A
natural gas supplier that plans for natural gas supply
services to a group of customers in a single buying
unit.
Alternate
Fuel Capability (Alternate Energy Capability) - Meeting
energy
needs with an energy source other than natural gas.
Balancing
- The
amount of natural gas a Natural Gas Distribution
Company (NGDC) receives for delivery to a customer or
customer Group and the amount of gas that customer or
group actually uses.
Basic
Services - -Services
necessary for the physical delivery of natural gas to
a retail customer, consisting of natural gas
distribution services and natural gas supply services.
BTU
- British
Thermal Unit is the amount of heat required to raise
the temperature of one pound of water by one degree
Fahrenheit.
Bundled
Pricing - Two or more services offered at a single
price.
Burner
Tip - The point
at which natural gas is used, such as a furnace,
water
heater or range.
Capacity
- The amount of
natural gas transported within a specific period of
time. The physical limits of a gas transportation
system determines capacity. On the interstate
transportation system, physical capacity is often
divided among several parties, each party holding a
contract for a specific quantity.
ccf
- equals 100
cubic feet of gas. This is a measure of gas usage.
Chapter
56 - The
PUC regulations that govern metering, billing and
collections for residential gas and electric service.
City
Gate - The
point where interstate pipelines deliver gas into an
NGDC's facilities.
Commodity
- Natural gas
sold either by volume or heating value.
Commodity
Charges - The
charges for basic gas supply service.
Consumer
Contract - A
written statement of the terms of service between a
customer and a natural gas supplier.
Customer
Assistance Programs (CAPS) - A
payment program for low- income people who have
trouble paying their bills. This payment program is
set up between a utility company and the customer. It
allows the customer to pay a percent of the bill they
owe or to pay a percent of their income instead of
paying the actual billing each month. When an
agreement is made, the customer must make regular
monthly payments based on their new payment plan.
Customer
Charge - A
monthly charge to cover NGDC costs to maintain
the
gas lines, and provide meter reading and billing.
Customer
Choice - Customers
and sellers can deal directly with each other
for
natural gas supplies, which are transported through
NGDC's pipes to the
consumer.
Customer
Classes - The
classes of natural gas customers are residential,
commercial
and industrial.
Customer
Reading - An
actual meter reading made by the customer and
given
to the NGDC.
Dekatherm
- (Dth)
A measure of the heat content of gas. Gas usage is
determined
by multiplying the Mcf used by the heat content value
of the gas.
Deregulation
- Removal
or relaxation of regulations or controls governing
a
business or service operation such as a utility.
Distribution
--The
delivery of natural gas from the city gate to the
consumer.
Distribution
Charges -Charges
for the delivery of natural gas from the point
of
receipt into the NGDC's system.
End-User
- The
natural gas consumer.
Estimated
reading - During
months when the NGDC does not read the
customer's
meter, the bill is based on previous gas usage, gas
rates and the
weather.
Firm
Service - Natural
gas service offered to consumers specified in tariffs
or
contracts that anticipate no interruption.
Flat
Rate - A fixed
charge for goods and services that does not vary with
changes
in the amount used, volume consumed, or units
purchased.
Formal
Complaint - A
written dispute or disagreement about a utility
problem
filed by a consumer with the PUC. A formal complaint
is assigned to
an
Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) who holds hearings to
develop a record. After the hearings, the Judge
issues a decision.
Gas
Cost Adjustment Charges - The
amount billed or credited each month
to
correct any differences between projected and
actual gas supply costs of
the
NGDC.
Informal
Complaint - A
dispute or disagreement about a utility problem filed
by
a consumer with the PUC's Bureau of Consumer Services
(BCS). A BCS
investigator
reviews the informal complaint and provides the
customer with a
response
to their dispute.
Interruptible
Service - Natural
gas services that can be interrupted under
terms
and conditions specified by tariff or contract.
Interstate
Transportation System - Federally
regulated, large capacity
pipelines
that transport natural gas across state lines from
points of production to NGDC's city gates.
Late
Payment Charge - A
charge for any bill not paid by the due date.
Low
Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) - A
federal/state
program
to assist low- income utility customers to pay for
energy services.
Marketer
or Broker - An
individual or business, licensed by the Commission
that
sells or arranges to sell natural gas. The difference
between marketers and
brokers
is that marketers own the gas they sell, while brokers
do not.
Mcf
- 1,000 cubic
feet. This is a measure of gas usage.
Natural
Gas Distribution Company (NGDC) - A
regulated natural gas utility
which
owns the gas lines and equipment necessary to deliver
natural gas to the
consumer,
formerly called LDC (Local Distribution Company).
Natural
Gas Supplier (NGS) - An
entity that sells or arranges to sell natural
gas
to customers that are delivered through the
distribution lines of an NGDC.
Nonbasic
Services - Optional
services which are separate and not required for
The
physical delivery of natural gas service.
Office
of Consumer Advocate (OCA) - A government
office that represents
the
interest of residential utility consumers before the
Public Utility Commission. This includes rate and
services cases and before other state and federal
regulatory agencies and courts.
Office
of Small Business
Advocate (OSBA)
- A state government office that
represents
the interest of small business consumers. They
participate in PUC
rate
cases and other state and federal regulatory cases.
Open
Market - Competition
is allowed.
Public
Input Hearings - Meetings
where consumers can give input to the
PUC.
This is in the form of sworn or unsworn testimony,
often before a
PUC
administrative law judge.
Public
Meeting - Meeting,
open to the public, where the PUC Commissioners
vote
on all rate case filings and other official PUC
business.
Public
Utility Code - The
law, which sets the powers and duties of the Pa. PUC.
It also sets many of the guidelines the PUC uses for
utilities' rates and service standards.
Public
Utility Commission - Also
known as the PUC. The state regulatory
agency
that provides supervision, policy, guidance and
direction to public utilities and suppliers.
Service
Reliability - A
guarantee that the NGDC will deliver sufficient
natural
gas
to satisfy customer consumption specified in tariffs
and contracts
State
Tax Adjustment Surcharge - A
surcharge on gas rates charged to
customers,
which permit NGDC's to track changes to various state
taxes.
Storage
– Keeping
natural gas in an
underground container for removal and
use
at a later date.
Title
52 - The
section of the Pennsylvania Code that governs
utilities.
Transmission
- The moving of
natural gas through the inter- state transportation
system for delivery to NGDC'S.
Unbundling
- Breaking down
services and/or rates that are offered into
parts
so each part is billed separately.
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