Electric bill terms: P

Paperless billing Your bill and account

A service that sends your bill by email or to your online account, not by mail.

Also called: e-bill.

Past-due balance Your bill and account

An amount from a previous bill that you did not pay. A utility can add a late payment charge to it.

Also called: past due, arrears.

See also: Late payment charge.

Payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) Taxes and fees

A payment that a public utility makes to local governments in place of property taxes. LIPA adds it to bills.

Also called: PILOT.

On this site: PSEG Long Island (LIPA) SC 1, Rate 194.

See also: Public power.

Payment plan Your bill and account

An agreement to pay a past-due balance in parts, together with your new bills.

Also called: payment arrangement, deferred payment agreement.

See also: Past-due balance.

Peak demand Time of use

The highest load on the power system in a period. Utilities set the on-peak hours near the time of peak demand.

Also called: system peak.

See also: On-peak, Demand response.

Peak time rebate Time of use

A program that pays a credit when you use less electricity during an event. It does not raise your price if you do not take part.

Also called: peak rewards.

See also: Demand response.

Percentage of income payment plan (PIPP) Programs and discounts

A plan where a low-income customer pays a fixed share of income for energy. Ohio and other states use it.

Also called: PIPP.

On this site: AEP Ohio (Ohio Power) RS, The Illuminating Company (Cleveland Electric) RS, Ohio Edison RS, Toledo Edison RS.

See also: LIHEAP.

Performance incentive mechanism Riders and adjustments

A rule that gives a utility a reward or a penalty for its results, for example reliability or customer service.

Also called: PIM.

On this site: Duke Energy Progress RES.

See also: Revenue requirement.

PJM Suppliers and the electricity market

The grid operator for all or part of 13 states and Washington, DC, from New Jersey to Illinois.

Also called: PJM Interconnection.

On this site: Indiana Michigan Power (Indiana) R.S..

See also: Regional transmission organization (RTO).

Power charge indifference adjustment (PCIA) Suppliers and the electricity market

In California, a charge for CCA and direct access customers. It pays for the contracts that the utility signed before these customers left. The amount depends on the year that the customer left (the vintage).

Also called: PCIA, exit fee.

On this site: PG&E E-1, PG&E E-ELEC, PG&E E-TOU-C, PG&E E-TOU-D, PG&E EV2-A, Southern California Edison D and 2 more.

See also: Community choice aggregation (CCA).

Power cost adjustment Riders and adjustments

A charge or a credit when the power costs of the utility are different from the costs in its base rates.

Also called: energy cost adjustment, ECA.

On this site: Avista Utilities 1, BGE R, Black Hills Energy (Cheyenne Light) R, Connexus Energy Residential, CORE Electric Cooperative A, CoServ Electric 202.1 and 12 more.

See also: Fuel charge.

Power factor Units and basics

The ratio of the real power to the apparent power. Some business tariffs add a charge for a low power factor. Residential tariffs usually do not.

See also: Kilovolt-ampere (kVA).

Power outage Regulators and the industry

A time when the electricity is off. Some states require a credit after a long outage.

Also called: blackout.

See also: Reliability (SAIDI and SAIFI).

Power supply cost recovery (PSCR) Riders and adjustments

In Michigan, the factor that passes fuel and purchased power costs to customers. The utility can change it each month, up to the maximum that the commission allows.

Also called: PSCR factor, PSCR.

On this site: Consumers Energy RPM, Consumers Energy RSP, DTE Energy D1.11, DTE Energy D1.2, Indiana Michigan Power (Michigan) RS.

See also: Fuel charge, Mill.

Price to compare (PTC) Suppliers and the electricity market

The price per kWh of the utility default supply. A supplier offer must be lower than it to save money on supply.

Also called: PTC, price-to-compare.

On this site: the price to compare history of each utility in a retail choice state.

See also: Default service.

Price volatility Suppliers and the electricity market

Large and fast changes in prices, for example during a heat wave or a cold snap.

See also: Wholesale electricity price.

Prorated charge Your bill and account

A charge that the utility changes in proportion to the days. For example, a monthly charge for a short billing period, or a bill that crosses a rate change.

Also called: proration.

See also: Billing period.

Public power Regulators and the industry

A utility that a city or a public agency owns, for example LADWP or SRP. Its board or city council sets its rates. In a few states, the state commission also approves them.

Also called: municipal utility, public power utility.

See also: Investor-owned utility (IOU).

Public utility commission (PUC) Regulators and the industry

The state agency that approves the rates and rules of investor-owned utilities. In some states it also regulates city utilities or cooperatives. Some states call it the public service commission or the corporation commission.

Also called: PUC, public service commission, PSC, utility commission.

See also: Rate case, Tariff.

Purchase of receivables (POR) Suppliers and the electricity market

A program where the utility buys the amounts that customers owe to a supplier, usually at a small discount. The utility then collects the full amount on its bill and takes the risk of non-payment.

Also called: POR, UCB/POR.

On this site: Ameren Illinois DS-1.

See also: Supplier.

Purchased power adjustment Riders and adjustments

A charge or a credit for the cost of electricity that the utility buys from other companies.

Also called: purchased power cost adjustment.

On this site: Ameren Missouri 1(M) EMS, Appalachian Power (Virginia) R.S., ComEd Rate BES / Rate RDS, Entergy New Orleans RES-25, Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) RS, Liberty (Empire District Electric) TC-RG and 4 more.

See also: Fuel charge.

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