Glossary of terms (N-Z)
[ Terms A-C] [ Terms D-M]
NARUC: National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
Nomination: The amount of natural gas purchased by a consumer or an agent to be delivered within a certain time period.
Peak Day: The 24-hour period of greatest natural gas consumption within a single natural gas utility.
Pool: A group of individual natural gas customers which are treated as one customer by a marketer for balancing purposes.
Priority One Customer: Customers who are considered to have essential human needs and are required to have firm service.
Propane: A hydrocarbon (C3H8) which is heavier than air and can be used in heating applications.
PUC: Public Utility Commission. The regulatory agency which sets rates and governs all utilities.
Purchased Gas Costs: Costs that comprise 50 to 70 percent of an average customer's natural gas bill. Utilities are permitted to adjust their purchased gas costs quarterly (and even more frequently if circumstances require).
Retainage: Natural gas kept by a utility or pipeline to recover "lost" or unaccounted for natural gas.
Service Line: Pipeline which carries gas from the distribution main to the customer's meter
Supplier: A non-regulated buyer and seller of natural gas. Also known as a marketer or broker.
Storage: Placing natural gas in a holding facility for removal and use at a later date.
Throughput: The volume of natural gas delivered to customers.
Transition Cost: Costs which are being passed on to utilities from interstate pipeline companies as a result of federally-mandated restructuring of the natural gas pipeline industry.
Transmission Mains: Pipelines installed for the purpose of transmitting gas from a source (s) of supply to one or more LDCs, large volume customers, or a pipeline which interconnects supply sources.
Transportation (Distribution) Service: Service encompassing volumes of gas owned by the ultimate consumer and delivered to the ultimate consumer's meter by the transporter.
Unbundled Rates: Deriving individual rates for separate components of a bundled service.
Unbundled Service: A non-packaged service where a customer can purchase the natural gas from a third party (supplier) and the local distribution company delivers the gas through its pipeline to the customer's home.
Information provided by the A.G.A.
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