E
EAD - Expedited Application Docket: An alternate procedure offered by the PUC for handling requests for approval of special service contracts between public utilities and their gas or electric customers, who may bypass the utility system due to the availability of alternate sources of supply. As soon as an application is filed, a workshop is scheduled at the end of a 20-day period, during which protests can be filed and questions asked of utility representatives. The Commission then votes on the workshop recommendation at the next regularly scheduled meeting, where appropriate.
EAP – Energy Action Plan: California’s principal energy plan approved by the PUC and the California Energy Commission, which identifies specific goals and actions to eliminate energy outages and excessive price spikes in electricity or natural gas.
Earnings Cap: The absolute limit on earnings allowed a local telephone company under the Alternative Regulatory Framework; all earnings above this cap must be returned to customers.
Earth Station: Equipment on Earth that can transmit or receive satellite communications.
EBMUD – East Bay Municipal Utility District: Serves water to over 1.2 million customers in the eastern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area. On the Internet at http://www.ebmud.com/.
EC – Electrical Conductivity: A measurement of how well a material accommodates the transport of electric charge.
ECABF – Energy Cost Adjustment Billing Factor: The positive or negative surcharge on customers’ bills used to recover energy costs in rates.
Echo: A signal that has been reflected or otherwise returned with sufficient magnitude and delay to be perceived by the speaker.
ECP – Expedited Complaint Procedure: A procedure for quickly handling formal complaint cases involving less than $1,500. The ECP ensures a hearing, without a court reporter, within 30 days after an answer to a complaint is filed. Only the complainant and the answer are heard; the parties represent themselves. A PUC Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) prepares a Draft Decision, and the final decision is made by the PUC.
EEI – Edison Electric Institute: The association of U.S. shareholder-owned electric companies, international affiliates, and industry associates worldwide. On the Internet at https://www.eei.org/.
Effluent: The water discharged from a water treatment facility.
EFO – Emergency Flow Order: A mandate that end-use customers’ usage must be less than or equal to supply. The order is used when actual or forecast supply and/or capacity shortages threaten delivery of power to end-use customers.
EH – Evidentiary Hearing: Held in PUC proceedings per the request of a PUC Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) to hear evidence in a proceeding from all parties.
EIR – Environmental Impact Report: A report prepared on the potential effects of a project proposed by a utility on the environment.
EIX: The stock symbol of Edison International, parent company of Southern California Edison.
Electric Plant: A facility containing prime movers, electric generators, and auxiliary equipment for converting mechanical, chemical, and/or fission energy into electric energy.
Electric Rate Schedule: A statement of the electric rate and the terms and conditions governing its application, including attendant contract terms and conditions that have been accepted by a regulatory body with appropriate oversight authority.
Electric Utility: A corporation, person, agency, authority, or other legal entity or instrumentality that owns and/or operates facilities within the United States, its territories, or Puerto Rico for the generation, transmission, distribution, or sale of electric energy primarily for use by the public and files forms listed in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 18, Part 141. Facilities that qualify as cogenerators or small power producers under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) are not considered electric utilities.
Electrodialysis: A filtration process that uses electric charge to force dissolved solids through the membrane pores.
Emigration: Migration away from a place; as juvenile salmon migrating from fresh water to the ocean.
En Banc: A hearing held by PUC Commissioners to hear presentations on specific topics from a variety of parties.
Energy: The capacity for doing work as measured by the capability of doing work (potential energy) or the conversion of this capability to motion (kinetic energy). Energy has several forms, some of which are easily convertible and can be changed to another form useful for work. Most of the world's convertible energy comes from fossil fuels that are burned to produce heat that is then used as a transfer medium to mechanical or other means in order to accomplish tasks. Electrical energy is usually measured in kilowatt-hours, while heat energy is usually measured in British thermal units.
Energy Efficiency: Refers to programs that are aimed at reducing the energy used by specific end-use devices and systems, typically without affecting the services provided. These programs reduce overall electricity consumption (reported in megawatt-hours), often without explicit consideration for the timing of program-induced savings. Such savings are generally achieved by substituting technically more advanced equipment to produce the same level of end-use services (e.g. lighting, heating, motor drive) with less electricity. Examples include high-efficiency appliances, efficient lighting programs, high-efficiency heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems or control modifications, efficient building design, advanced electric motor drives, and heat recovery systems.
Energy Receipts: Energy generated by one electric utility system and received by another system through one or more transmission lines.
Energy Source: The primary source that provides the power that is converted to electricity through chemical, mechanical, or other means. Energy sources include coal, petroleum and petroleum products, gas, water, uranium, wind, sunlight, geothermal, and other sources.
EOB – Electricity Oversight Board: Provides regulatory oversight of California ’s restructured electricity industry.
EOR – Enhanced Oil Recovery: Injection of steam into oil-holding geologic zones to increase ability to extract oil by lowering its viscosity. Also used to designate a special category of gas customers.
EPACT – The Energy Policy Act of 1992: This federal legislation created a new class of power generators, exempt wholesale generators, that are exempt from the provisions of the Public Holding Company Act of 1935 and grants the authority to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to order and condition access by eligible parties to the interconnected transmission grid.
Escapement: The incoming river run portion of a salmon population that has escaped ocean harvest.
ESLAB – Emergency Spanish Language Assistance Bureau: A telephone facility to assist Spanish-speaking subscribers to the service in making emergency phone calls.
ESP – Electric Service Provider: A non-utility that provides electric service to customers within the service territory of an electric utility.
ETOR – Estimated Time of Restoration: The time when a utility company estimates service will be restored to customers after an outage.
EUCL – End-User Common Line Charge: A monthly rate imposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that applies to all basic exchange lines, and is intended to recover a portion of the non-traffic sensitive costs assigned to interstate services by separations rules.
Evapotranspiration: The amount of water transpired through pores and evaporated by vegetation.
Evidence: Oral testimony, written documents, or physical materials included in the record of a formal proceeding.
EWG – Exempt Wholesale Generator: Created under the 1992 Energy Policy Act, these wholesale generators are exempt from certain financial and legal restrictions stipulated in the Public Utilities Holding Company Act of 1935.
Exh. – Exhibit: A physical object, usually a writing, offered as evidence in a hearing.
Ex Parte: Used to describe contact between a party to a proceeding and the assigned PUC Commissioner or Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) outside the presence of other parties.