Energy Guide

Energy Translator

Energy language without the fog

Search the language on a bill, contract or proposal. Each explanation says what it means, where it appears, why it matters and what to ask next.

This is general information, not a reading of your contract or bill. Check the wording that applies to your organisation before acting.

ACDEFHKLMNPRST

A

AMR — Automated Meter Reading
A meter that automatically sends consumption readings to a supplier or data service.
Where you may see it: Metering arrangements, bills and data reports.
Why it matters: Regular actual readings can reduce estimated bills and make unusual consumption easier to spot.
A useful question: How often is data collected, who receives it, and can we access it?
AQ — Annual Quantity
An annualised gas-consumption quantity associated with a supply point.
Where you may see it: Gas supplier data, quotations and industry records.
Why it matters: It helps suppliers price expected volume but may lag a material operational change.
A useful question: When was the AQ updated and does it reflect current occupation and equipment?

C

Capacity charge
A charge linked to the electrical capacity reserved for a site, rather than only the energy consumed.
Where you may see it: Electricity bills for larger sites, sometimes described alongside agreed or available capacity.
Why it matters: A site may pay for capacity it no longer needs, or incur charges if it exceeds its agreed level.
A useful question: What capacity are we paying for, what peak do we use, and who can change it?
CCL — Climate Change Levy
A tax applied to energy supplied to many UK businesses and public-sector organisations.
Where you may see it: Electricity and gas invoices, usually as a separate line.
Why it matters: Eligibility, reliefs and the accuracy of the taxable quantity can affect the bill.
A useful question: Which supplies attract CCL, and is any relief or exemption relevant to us?
Commodity cost — wholesale energy cost
The part of an energy price associated with buying the electricity or gas itself, before network, policy and other non-commodity elements.
Where you may see it: Quotation breakdowns, procurement reports and market commentary.
Why it matters: A fall in wholesale prices does not imply that every component of the delivered business bill falls by the same amount.
A useful question: Which part of this offer is commodity, when was it priced and which other elements remain variable?

D

Deemed contract
An energy arrangement that can arise when a business uses energy without agreeing a contract with the current supplier.
Where you may see it: A new, moved or acquired site where no supply contract was put in place.
Why it matters: Deemed rates can be substantially more expensive and usually need active action to leave.
A useful question: Are any sites on deemed rates, and what notice or evidence is needed to move them?
DNO — Distribution Network Operator
The regional company that operates the local electricity network carrying power to a site.
Where you may see it: New connections, capacity changes, outages and generation projects.
Why it matters: The DNO is not normally your supplier, but its network and connection decisions can constrain a project.
A useful question: Which DNO serves the site and is a connection or capacity application needed?
DUoS — Distribution Use of System
Charges for using the local electricity distribution network.
Where you may see it: Supplier pricing and bills, either bundled into the unit rate or passed through.
Why it matters: The treatment of network costs changes how quotations compare and how future cost risk is allocated.
A useful question: Is DUoS fixed into the price or passed through at the prevailing charge?
DC — Data Collector
An electricity-market role that obtains and validates meter readings or interval data for settlement.
Where you may see it: Half-hourly data arrangements, supplier records and metering appointments.
Why it matters: Incomplete or invalid data can lead to estimated billing, weak tenders and settlement corrections.
A useful question: Who collects the data, what is missing and how can our business receive a usable copy?
DA — Data Aggregator
An electricity-market role that aggregates validated consumption data for use in settlement.
Where you may see it: Industry appointment records and technical descriptions of half-hourly supplies.
Why it matters: It is part of the settlement chain, although it may not be a party the business deals with day to day.
A useful question: Is the issue with collection, validation, aggregation or the supplier's use of the data?

E

Energy supplier
The licensed company that sells electricity or gas to the business and issues the supply bill.
Where you may see it: Contracts, quotations, bills and account communications.
Why it matters: The supplier is the contracting party for the energy supply; it is distinct from a broker, network operator and metering agent.
A useful question: Who is the contracted supplier for each MPAN or MPRN, and when does that contract end?
EAC — Estimated Annual Consumption
An estimate of annual electricity consumption for a supply, used where a complete actual annual total is not available.
Where you may see it: Supplier data, tenders and non-half-hourly electricity records.
Why it matters: A tender based on an outdated estimate may misstate expected cost and volume.
A useful question: What period and readings support this EAC, and how does it compare with recent actual use?

F

Fixed contract
A contract where specified price components are fixed for an agreed period; it rarely means every bill component is guaranteed unchanged.
Where you may see it: Supplier and broker proposals.
Why it matters: Two offers both called fixed may include different pass-through charges and risk.
A useful question: Exactly which components are fixed, and which may still change?
Flexible procurement
An approach that allows energy to be purchased in portions at different times rather than fixing all volume at once.
Where you may see it: Strategies for larger or grouped consumption portfolios.
Why it matters: It can spread market-timing risk but requires governance, volume data and clear authority to trade.
A useful question: Who decides when to purchase, against what mandate, and how will performance be reported?

H

Half-hourly meter — HH meter, half hourly
An electricity meter whose consumption is recorded in 30-minute periods for settlement and billing.
Where you may see it: Bills, data portals and meter identifiers for many larger supplies.
Why it matters: Interval data reveals when energy is used, supports tendering and can expose avoidable peaks.
A useful question: Can we obtain complete interval data for every meter in a usable format?

K

kW — kilowatt
A measure of power: the rate at which energy is being used or produced at a moment in time.
Where you may see it: Equipment ratings, maximum demand and generation capacity.
Why it matters: kW helps size connections, equipment, solar and batteries; it is not the same as total consumption.
A useful question: Is this figure an instantaneous peak, an equipment rating or a contracted limit?
kWh — kilowatt hour
A measure of energy consumed or generated over time.
Where you may see it: Bills, consumption reports and generation estimates.
Why it matters: Unit rates are commonly multiplied by kWh, making it central to annual cost and savings comparisons.
A useful question: Is the figure actual, estimated, annualised or modelled?
kVA — kilovolt-ampere
A measure of apparent electrical power used in connection and capacity planning.
Where you may see it: Capacity agreements, technical specifications and some electricity bills.
Why it matters: It can determine available capacity and related charges, particularly at larger sites.
A useful question: What is our agreed kVA, what peak have we reached, and is the level still appropriate?

L

Letter of Authority — LOA
A document allowing a broker or adviser to obtain information or take specified actions for a customer.
Where you may see it: At the start of a broker review or procurement exercise.
Why it matters: Its scope varies. A broad or exclusive LOA may grant more authority than a business expects.
A useful question: What exactly may the broker do, for how long, and how can we revoke the authority?

M

MHHS — Market-wide Half-Hourly Settlement
The industry programme moving electricity settlement to half-hourly consumption data across the market.
Where you may see it: Supplier communications, metering changes and industry updates.
Why it matters: It changes how consumption data is used and may affect tariff design, meter arrangements and the value of shifting usage.
A useful question: Will our meters, data access or pricing change, and when?
MPAN — Meter Point Administration Number, S number
The unique identifier for an electricity supply point; it identifies the supply, not simply the physical meter.
Where you may see it: Electricity bills and supply contracts.
Why it matters: Accurate MPANs are essential when tendering, switching or building a multi-site supply schedule.
A useful question: Does our estate schedule include every MPAN and its current contract end date?
MPRN — Meter Point Reference Number
The unique identifier for a gas supply point.
Where you may see it: Gas bills and supply contracts.
Why it matters: It is the reliable key for matching a gas supply to contracts, invoices and sites.
A useful question: Does each site and invoice map to the correct MPRN?
MOP — Meter Operator
An appointed organisation responsible for defined electricity meter installation, maintenance and technical services.
Where you may see it: Metering agreements, supplier records and half-hourly supply arrangements.
Why it matters: Meter faults, exchanges and appointment terms may sit with the MOP rather than the supplier alone.
A useful question: Who is the appointed MOP, what services are included and when does the appointment end?
Maximum demand — MD, peak demand
The highest rate of electricity demand recorded for a site under a stated interval and measurement method.
Where you may see it: Half-hourly analysis, capacity reports and some electricity bills.
Why it matters: The peak can influence connection capacity, network charges and the case for operational changes or storage.
A useful question: When did the peak occur, what caused it and is the measurement basis clearly stated?
Maximum Import Capacity — MIC, agreed capacity, available capacity
The import capacity agreed for an electricity connection, commonly expressed in kVA.
Where you may see it: Connection agreements, network correspondence and some larger-site bills.
Why it matters: Too little capacity can constrain operations; surplus capacity may create avoidable cost depending on the arrangement.
A useful question: What capacity is agreed, what peak is used and what future loads are planned?
Meter Serial Number — MSN
The identifier printed on a physical meter; it is not the same as the MPAN or MPRN that identifies the supply point.
Where you may see it: The meter face, bills and meter-exchange records.
Why it matters: Checking the serial number helps confirm that a reading belongs to the physical meter installed at the site.
A useful question: Does the serial number on the bill match the meter, and was a meter exchange recorded?

N

Non-commodity costs
Costs beyond the wholesale energy itself, including network, policy, balancing and other industry charges.
Where you may see it: Price breakdowns and descriptions of fixed or pass-through offers.
Why it matters: They make up a material part of total cost and may be treated differently across quotations.
A useful question: Which non-commodity costs are included, fixed, forecast or passed through?

P

Pass-through charges
Charges billed at the amount that applies during the contract rather than fixed into the supplier's quoted rate.
Where you may see it: Contract schedules, quotation assumptions and later invoice adjustments.
Why it matters: A low headline rate may carry more future variability if significant elements are passed through.
A useful question: List every pass-through item and show how it could affect the total annual cost.
PPA — Power Purchase Agreement
An agreement to buy electricity from a generator, often over several years and sometimes linked to on-site solar.
Where you may see it: Solar proposals and renewable procurement strategies.
Why it matters: A PPA can avoid upfront capital but creates long-term price, volume, property and exit commitments.
A useful question: Who owns the equipment, what must we buy, how does price change, and what happens if we leave the site?

R

REGO — Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin
A certificate used to evidence that a quantity of electricity was generated from a renewable source.
Where you may see it: Renewable tariffs and carbon reporting evidence.
Why it matters: A REGO is an evidence instrument; it does not by itself mean electricity physically arrived from a particular generator.
A useful question: What environmental claim is supported, for which period and supply, and what evidence will we receive?

S

Standing charge
A recurring charge for keeping a supply available, usually applied per meter per day regardless of consumption.
Where you may see it: Energy bills and supplier quotations.
Why it matters: It can be material across a large estate or at low-consumption and vacant sites.
A useful question: What is the annual standing-charge total across all supplies, including dormant locations?

T

TPI — Third Party Intermediary, energy broker
A third party that helps a customer engage with the energy market, such as a broker, consultant or comparison service.
Where you may see it: Procurement, account management and supplier communications.
Why it matters: TPIs have different services, supplier access, charging methods and authority; the label alone is not a quality guarantee.
A useful question: What will you do, how are you paid, which suppliers are considered and what happens after signature?
TNUoS — Transmission Network Use of System
Charges associated with operating and maintaining the high-voltage electricity transmission system.
Where you may see it: Electricity pricing and pass-through charge schedules.
Why it matters: Its inclusion and pricing basis can affect quotation comparability and exposure to later adjustment.
A useful question: Is TNUoS included in the rate, fixed, forecast or passed through?