This glossary is a collaborative effort with Grist and WABE designed to clarify the role of the Georgia Public Service Commission, a pivotal state-elected board responsible for crucial decisions regarding electricity bills and energy production. It aims to enhance your comprehension of the acronyms and terminology used by elected officials, utility companies, and media organizations.
Utility Commissions Terms are essential for understanding how state utility regulators determine electricity affordability and energy sources.
### Public Service Commission (PSC):
A public agency tasked with regulating utilities. Board formats vary by state, with some being elected, others appointed, and rules and responsibilities differing. In Georgia, the PSC is a five-member elected body overseeing the main electric utility, Georgia Power, as well as natural gas pipelines and telecommunications.
### Rate:
The price per unit of electricity. As of February 2024, the average retail rate in Georgia is 12 cents per kilowatt-hour. Public utility commissions generally have final approval of these numbers for investor-owned utilities. You can find your state’s rate via the Energy Information Administration.
### Rate Structure/Tariff:
The combination of the rate, additional fees, and other considerations that make up power bills. In addition to the rate for the actual power used, Georgia Power customers pay fees or riders for fuel costs, sales tax, nuclear construction financing, and other costs.
### Ratepayer:
A customer of an electric provider who pays rates for electricity. Different rates and structures exist because costs vary for residents, small businesses, and large factories.
### Integrated Resource Plan (IRP):
An electric provider’s 20-year plan for generating and delivering electricity, updated every three years in Georgia with input from the PSC and stakeholders known as intervenors.
### Rate Case:
The process of setting the rates an electric utility charges customers for the power they use, occurring every three years following the IRP in Georgia.
### Intervenor:
A stakeholder or advocacy group granted permission to comment on a power company’s plans in front of regulators. These groups in Georgia have the ability to cross-examine Georgia Power’s representatives before the PSC and present their own input.
### Investor-owned utility (IOU):
A private company providing electricity to customers and regulated by PSCs. Publicly owned utilities are operated by local governments and are not under PSC jurisdiction in Georgia except for territorial disputes.
### Electric cooperatives:
Public utilities owned by their customers, designed to deliver power to rural areas. There are over 900 cooperatives in the U.S., offering more flexibility and accountability to members.
### Energy Terms are frequently used by energy and utility companies, renewable energy advocates, and regulators.
**Continue** [the content is too lengthy to fit in one response, if you need more rewriting, please let me know]
