Glossary of electric industry, energy & cooperative terms

B
Backup Power
Electricity that is supplied when regularly used generating units are not in service because of emergencies, outages or periods of scheduled maintenance.

Balusters
Usually small vertical members in a railing used between the rail and the stair treads or a bottom rail.

Balustrade
A railing made up of balusters, a tip rail, and sometimes a bottom rail on the edge of stairs, balconies and porches.

Bandwidth
Measure of the traffic on a site. Bandwidth is expressed as the amount of data transferred in a specified unit of time.

Barrel (bbl) of Oil
A volumetric unit of measure for crude oil and petroleum products. Equal to 42 U.S. gallons, or 5.6 cubic feet, or 159 liters. A barrel of #6 or Bunker "C" oil is commonly considered to have a mass of 300 pounds or 136 kilograms and an energy content of roughly 6,320,000 British thermal units (Btu). (This estimate can vary from one oil field to another, especially after refinement.)

Base or Baseboard
A board placed against the wall around a room next to the floor to finish properly between floor and plaster or dry wall.

Base Bill
A charge calculated through multiplication of the rate from the appropriate electric rate schedule by the level of consumption.

Base Load
The nearly steady level of demand on a utility system; the minimum continuous load (electric power) or demand in a power system required or delivered, over time from a utility’s generation system; usually measured in megawatts.

Base Load Capacity
The generating equipment normally operated to serve loads on an around-the-clock basis.

Base Load Plant
A generating plant that provides the basic amount of electric power need year-round; normally a large, efficient power plant having a low cost per kilowatt-hour generated. A plant, usually housing high-efficiency steam-electric units, which is normally operated to take all or part of the minimum load of a system, and which consequently produces electricity at an essentially constant rate and runs continuously. These units are operated to maximize system mechanical and thermal efficiency and minimize system operating costs.

Base Rates
That portion of the total electric rate covering the general costs of doing business unrelated to fuel expenses. For investor-owned utilities, the base rate is established by the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) in general rate proceedings; for cooperatives, it is determined by the board of trustees; and for municipals, this task is assigned to a specific authority (varies among cities) within the municipal structure. Rate "structure" for all utilities falls under the jurisdiction of the PSC.

Batt
A pre-cut section of glass fiber or rock wool used for insulation. Usually measures 15 or 23 inches wide, 1 to 12 inches thick, and 4 to 8 feet long.

Batten
Narrow strips of wood used to cover joints or decorative vertical members over plywood or wide boards.

Bbl
The abbreviation for barrel.

Bcf
The abbreviation for 1 billion cubic feet.

Beam
A structural member transversely supporting a load.

Bearing Wall
A wall that supports any vertical load in addition to its own weight.

Bilateral Agreement
Written statement signed by a pair of communicating parties that specifies what data may be exchanged between them.

Bilateral Contract
A direct contract between the power producer and user or broker outside of a centralized power pool or power exchange.

Biomass Conversion
The process of producing fuels or energy from organic matter such as plants or animal wastes; fuel produced by this process is sometimes used to generate electricity.

Bituminous Coal
A dense coal, usually black, sometimes dark brown, often with well-defined bands of bright and dull material, used primarily as fuel in steam-electric power generation, with substantial quantities also used for heat and power applications in manufacturing and to make coke. Bituminous coal is the most abundant coal in active U.S. mining regions. Its moisture content usually is less then 20 percent. The heat content of bituminous coal ranges from 21 to 30 million Btu per ton on a moist, mineral-matter-free basis. The heat content of bituminous coal consumed in the United States averages 24 million Btu per ton, on the as-received basis (i.e., containing both inherent moisture and mineral matter). LV = Low-volatile bituminous coal; MV = Medium-volatile bituminous coal; HVA = High-volatile A bituminous coal; HVB = High-volatile B bituminous coal; HVC = High-volatile C bituminous coal.

Blanket
A continuous roll of glass fiber or rock wool used for insulation, usually 15 or 23 inches wide, 1 to 12 inches thick, and cut to the appropriate length by the installer.

Blinks
Short duration power outages. Blinks occur when an obstruction, like a tree limb, animal or car, comes into contact with a power line or transformer.

Block Rate
A charge for electricity under which the cost per kilowatt-hour changes as more kilowatt-hours are sold; for example, the first 100 kwh may cost 10 cents per kwh, the next 100 kwh may cost 8 cents per kwh and all additional kwh may cost 6 cents per kwh. Under this type of rate, charges may also increase as additional increments are reached.

Board of Trustees
Member-elected governing body of the cooperative that adopts bylaws, service rules and regulations, policies, rates and sets the course for the organization. The trustees hire the CEO and delegate authority to that person to manage day-to-day operations.

Boiler
A device for generating steam for power, processing, or heating purposes or for producing hot water for heating purposes or hot water supply. Heat from an external combustion source is transmitted to a fluid contained within the tubes in the boiler shell. This fluid is delivered to an end-use at a desired pressure, temperature, and quality.

Brace
An inclined piece of framing lumber applied to was or floor to stiffen the structure. Often used on walls as temporary bracing until framing has been completed.

Broker
An entity that arranges the sale and purchase of electric energy, transmission, and other services between buyers and sellers, but does not take title to any of the power sold.

Browser
A program used to locate and view Web pages. These include Netscape, Mosaic, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and others.

Brick Veneer
A facing of brick laid against and fastened to sheathing of a frame wall or tile wall.

Bridging
Small wood or metal members that are inserted in a diagonal position between the floor joists at midspan to act both as tension and compression members for the purpose of bracing the joists and spreading the action of loads.

British Thermal Unit (BTu)
Amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit.

Bundled Utility Service
All generation, transmission, and distribution services provided by one entity for a single charge. This would include ancillary services and retail services.

Bus
An electrical conductor that serves as a common connection for two or more electrical circuits.

Bus-Bar Cost
The total cost of generating electricity, not including substation and transmission losses.

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Page last updated: Friday, March 5, 2010