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Electric Cooperative Glossary |
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| *Alternative Retail Electric Supplier (ARES) |
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Is someone other than an Illinois electric utility that offers electric power or energy for sale, lease or in exchange for other value received, or that engages in the delivery or furnishing of electric power or energy, to one or more retail customers.
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| *Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives (AIEC) |
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Is the trade organization for the Illinois electric and telephone cooperatives and their associated organizations. The AIEC provides its member-systems with services such as engineering services and rate studies, coordination of safety programs, legislative research and information, printing and publications.
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| *Capital Credits |
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The profit, or revenue, if any, left at the end of each fiscal year in excess of operating costs and expenses that is paid back to the members.
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| *Conductor |
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A material that allows an electric current to pass through it. Also, the wire that carries electricity in an electric distribution or transmission system.
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| *Cooperative Response Center (CRC) |
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Jo-Carroll Energy's after hours dispatch center. CRC, headquartered in Austin, Minnesota, is a nationally-owned and operated call center providing a wide array of call center services to over 110 cooperatives located throughout the United States.
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| *Customer Choice |
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Means customers would have a choice of power suppliers. Customer choice is a term used interchangeably with retail wheeling in the electric utility industry.
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| *Dairyland Power Cooperative |
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The power supply (generation and transmission) organization from which Jo-Carroll Energy receives its energy. Dairyland Power is a federation of 24 locally-owned and operated electric cooperative systems like Jo-Carroll Energy. These cooperatives are located in western Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, northeast Iowa and northwest Illinois.
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| *Demand |
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The amount of electricity drawn from an electric system at a given time, measured in kilowatts.
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| *Deregulation |
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Reduction or elimination of government oversight of a segment of a private industry-usually a basic public service such as electricity, telecommunications or transportation services.
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| *Distribution System |
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The final delivery of the electric service to the consumer. The poles, wires, and transformers used to deliver electric energy from a power supplier to the consumer. Jo-Carroll Energy is a distribution system.
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| *Electric Cooperative |
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A non-profit utility owned by its members. Electric cooperatives can generate or purchase wholesale power, own or arrange for the transmission of that power, and distribute the power. Cooperatives often become involved in providing other energy services, and diversify to offer such services as surge protection, water heaters, heating systems and numerous other services.
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| *Energy service company (ESCO) |
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A company which markets and provides energy-related products and services.
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| *Generation |
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Power plants, producers of electricity, are the generation part of the electric utility industry.
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| *Green Power |
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energy produced by renewable resources, typically defined as wind, solar, biomass, etc.
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| *Insulator (nonconductors) |
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Material that does not conduct electricity, such as glass, ceramics or rubber. It prevents the passage of electricity. All transmission and distribution wires are protected by insulators.
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| *Investorowned utility (IOU) |
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A stockholder-owned electric utility company that may generate, transmit or distribute electric energy for profit.
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| *Kilowatt (kW) |
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the basic unit of electric demand, equal to 1,000 watts.
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| *Kilowatthour (kWh) |
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A unit of energy equal to 1,000 watt hours. The basic measure of electric energy generation or use. A 100-watt light bulb burning for 10 hours uses one kilowatt-hour.
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| *Load |
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The amount of electric power drawn at a specific time from an electric system, or the total power drawn from the system. Peak load is the amount of power drawn at the time of highest demand.
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| *Member |
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Any person who receives service from Jo-Carroll Energy. Sometimes used interchangeably with the term customer.
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| *Meter |
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A device used to measure and record the amount of electricity used by a consumer.
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| *Municipal Utility |
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Electric system owned by a city or other government entity to provide service for the people living within its boundaries.
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| *National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) |
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Is the national service organization dedicated to representing the national interests of cooperative electric utilities and the consumers they serve.
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| *National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC) |
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Is a not-for-profit cooperative whose mission is to provide its member utility systems with an assured source of low-cost capital, state-of-the-art financial products, and business management services. CFC is Jo-Carroll Energy's financial lending institution.
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| *North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) |
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Promotes the reliability of the bulk electric systems in North America through cooperation and coordination.
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| *Offpeak Power |
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electricity supplied during periods of low system demand.
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| *Peak Demand |
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The greatest demand placed on an electric system; also the time of day or season of the year when that demand occurs.
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| *Power Marketer |
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A person or entity that buys power in bulk form from one or more sources for resale to all classes of electric customers - residential, commercial and industrial users.
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| *Power Supplier |
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A company which supplies the actual energy either by generating it or by arranging for its delivery to the consumer. Dairyland Power Cooperative is Jo-Carroll Electric's power supplier. SEE Generation
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| *Restructuring |
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Changes in the electric utility industry as a result of deregulation trends. Also refers to the reorganization of an electric utility. Sometimes used interchangeably with the term deregulation.
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| *Retail Wheeling |
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A system in which individual retail electric customers are allowed to choose their electric energy supplier. Also known as retail competition or customer choice.
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| *Rural Utilities Service (RUS) |
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As a Federal credit agency in the United States Department of Agriculture, RUS provides a leadership role in lending and technical guidance for the rural utilities industries. RUS is the Federal "point" agency for rural infrastructure assistance in electricity, water and telecommunications.
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| *Stranded Cost |
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Costs incurred or investments made by an electric utility to ensure reliable electric service for the future, that with deregulation may not be recoverable in a competitive marketplace.
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| *Substation |
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A place that contains transformers which lower electricity's voltage so that it can be used in our homes.
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| *Touchstone Energy |
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A national alliance of locally owned utilities, providing high standards of service to large and small customers and their communities. Touchstone Energy is a brand that communicates the core values that customers have come to rely on- accountability, integrity, innovation and a longstanding commitment to their communities.
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| *Transformer |
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A device used to raise or lower voltage in electric distribution or transmission lines.
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| *Transmission System |
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The flow, or transportation, of electricity from a generating plant over high-voltage power lines to a distribution system. Dairyland Power Cooperative is Jo-Carroll Energy's generation and transmission provider.
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| *Unbundling |
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Refers to the restructuring of the operations of an electric utility into segments- generation, transmission and distribution. An "unbundled" electric bill may itemize the charges associated with providing electricity to the consumer
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