Get help with energy jargon.
How many times have you read your energy bill and felt like it was written in another language? It can be really baffling and confusing.
To make life, and energy, simpler we created our very own jargon buster!
We want you to actually understand what we’re talking about, and keep you in the know.
Now, there’s quite an overwhelming amount of terms we here in the energy industry use (we like to talk a lot) so we have sectioned them into where you can mostly find them.
All you need to do is select where you saw it used and voila, you’ll find your jargon simplified. Let’s dig in.
Understanding your energy bill jargon.
Annual quantity.
How much you’ve consumed during the whole year (energy, that is).
DNO (Distribution Network Operator).
A company that owns and maintains a network for transporting electricity.
EAC (Estimated Annual Consumption).
Estimated total use for electricity meters. You usually see this on your energy contracts and billing.
First (Primary) and Next (Secondary) rates.
Now, this may sound a little complicated so bare with us.
We work out some of our bills using two different price bands. These used to be called 'Primary' and 'Secondary' rates, now we call them 'First' and 'Next'.
The threshold at which you switch from primary to secondary prices depends on your tariff. To work out how many units we charge at the Primary (First) unit price, we divide the threshold limit by 365 days and then multiply this by the number of days your bill covers.
We charge everything you use after that at the Secondary (Next) rate.
kWh (kilowatt-hour).
A kWh is the unit of energy used to measure electricity and gas bills. It shows how much energy is used over time.
MPAN (Meter Point Administration Number).
The MPAN is your own unique electricity reference number, used to identify your electricity supply.
MPR (Meter Point Reference).
This is your unique gas Meter Point Reference number, and is used to identify your gas supply. Your MPR is on your gas bill, not on the meter itself.
MSN (Meter Serial Number).
A number given to identify an actual meter.
OFGEM (Office of Gas & Electricity Markets).
Regulator for gas and electricity businesses in Great Britain.
Standing charge.
A standing charge is a daily amount you pay for your electricity and gas. Standing charges are used to cover our costs, such as meter reading and maintenance and the cost of keeping you connected to the grid. The price per kWh is how much you pay for the energy you’ve used. We work this out by reading your meters.
SSD.
Supply start date.
Tariff Information Label (TIL).
A Tariff Information Label (TIL) is your way of seeing at a glance how our energy rates compare with other suppliers to make sure you get the best deal.
To find out more information about your tariff, please visit our new tariff search page.
When you use our TIL Search page you can compare energy rates with different benefits, like paperless billing. The results will also highlight the difference if you choose to pay by fixed monthly Direct Debit. If you pay a different way, your tariff will say Other Payment Methods in the title.
Get help with your energy meter jargon.
Daily metered.
This is a large gas meter that has a data logger fitted to record, store and transmit daily readings and measurements.
Half hourly meter (HH).
A half hourly electricity meter is a specialised type of business electricity meter. This type of meter is connected to a telephone line and meter readings are taken every half hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year.
Half hourly data (HHD).
Half hourly data is the energy consumption information read directly from the meter itself. Suppliers analyse the HHD from a period of 12 months, so they can offer a contract price to the customer.
Explaining your online account jargon.
Account balance.
Your current account balance shows whether you have built up credit, or are in debit.
Billing address.
The billing address is for the property that you're paying for the use of electricity and gas. This could be different from your home address if it's a property you rent out for example.
Communication preferences.
Communication preferences allows you to control how, when, and where you receive messages from us, such as emails about smart meters or new tariffs.
Dashboard.
The initial page you see upon signing in, also called the Home Page.
Feed-in Tariff.
The Feed-in Tariffs (FiT) scheme is a government programme designed to promote the uptake of renewable and low-carbon electricity generation technologies.
Introduced on 1 April 2010, the scheme requires participating licensed electricity suppliers to make payments on both generation and export from eligible installations.
Priority services.
The Priority Services Register (PSR) is a free support service offered throughout the energy industry to vulnerable customers. It is available in England, Wales and Scotland.
Transaction history.
A transaction history is a record of every transaction within a certain period of time, such as payments, refunds and charges for energy use.