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Electricity and Energy - A Glossary of Terms for UK Homeowners
by Chileshe Mwape
Published on this site: September 22nd, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
If you're shopping around for the cheapest supplier of electricity
in your area, there are some terms that you need to be familiar
with. Below is a list of the some of the commonly used terms.
- KWh (kilowatt hour) - The standard unit of measurement
for both gas and electricity consumption.
- MPRN (Gas Meter Point Reference Number) - Your
MPRN is the unique identifying number for the gas meter at your property. It's
a ten digit number, commonly referred to as an "M"
number, and can be found on your gas bill.
- Unit Price - a variable charge dependent on your
level of consumption. The unit price will be applied to
every kilowatt hour (kWh) of gas or electricity used.
- Standing Charge - A fixed daily charge for the
supply of energy, irrespective of your level of consumption.
- MPAN (Electricity Supply Number) - MPAN is the
unique identifying number for the electricity meter at your property. The MPAN
is commonly referred to as a "Supply Number" or
"S" number, and it can be found on your electricity
bill.
- Economy 7 electricity tariffs use different pricing structures
according to the time of day. For example, the night rate
is cheaper than the day rate.
- Ofgem - the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets,
is the independent regulator of the gas and electricity
industries.
- Electricity Association - The representative body
of the major UK electricity companies.
- Green Tariff - based on the purchase or generation
of energy from renewable energy sources such as sun, wind,
water, and waste, or in funds being allocated to fund conservation
and environment protection projects.
- Energywatch acts on behalf of the consumer, as an independent
watchdog for the gas and electricity industry.
- Dual Fuel - Most suppliers these days provide
both gas and electricity known as "dual fuel"
deals. This means that you receive gas and electricity from
the same supplier.
Chileshe Mwape writes for The UK Electricity Guide
website at: http://www.cheap-electricity-guide.org.uk/
and he's also a regular contributor to the Ways2Save website
at: http://www.ways2save.org.uk/
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