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| A material used to seal areas of potential air leakage into or out of a building envelope. |
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Term
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| A company or other organizational unit that produces electricity from sources that are thought to be environmentally cleaner than traditional sources. Clean, or green, power is usually defined as power from renewable energy that comes from wind, solar, biomass energy, etc. There are various definitions of clean resources. Some definitions include power produced from waste-to-energy and wood-fired plants that may still produce significant air emissions. Some states have defined certain local resources as clean that other states would not consider clean. For example, the state of Texas has defined power from efficient natural gas-fired power plants as clean. Some northwest states include power from large hydropower projects as clean although these projects damage fish populations. Various states have disclosure and labeling requirement for generation source and air emissions that assist customers in comparing electricity characteristics other than price. This allows customers to decide for themselves what they consider to be "clean." The federal government is also exploring this issue. |
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| A turbine that generates power from the combustion of a fuel. |
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Term
| congressional (energy) committees |
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Definition
composed of four subsection committees:
-House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment
-House Water and Power Committee
-Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
-Senate Subcommittee on Energy Research, Development, Production and Regulation |
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| The fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. |
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| A stack of wood 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet. |
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| In reference to wind energy, for any given instant, the power available in the wind is proportional to the cube of the wind velocity; when wind speed doubles, the power availability increases eight times. |
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| The flow of electrical energy (electricity) in a conductor, measured in amperes. |
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| The use of direct, diffuse, or reflected sunlight to provide supplemental lighting for building interiors. |
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| A unit for measuring the extent that the outdoor daily average temperature (the mean of the maximum and minimum daily dry-bulb temperatures) falls below (in the case of heating, see Heating Degree Day), or falls above (in the case of cooling, see Cooling Degree Day) an assumed base temperature, normally taken as 65 degrees Fahrenheit, unless otherwise stated. One degree day is counted for each degree below (for heating) or above (in the case of cooling) the base, for each calendar day on which the temperature goes below or above the base. |
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Definition
| The rate at which electricity is delivered to or by a system, part of a system, or piece of equipment expressed in kilowatts, kilovoltamperes, or other suitable unit, at a given instant or averaged over a specified period of time. |
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Definition
| A federal government agency created in 1977, that is entrusted to contribute to the welfare of the United States by providing technical information, and a scientific and educational foundation for technology, policy and institutional leadership to achieve efficiency in energy use, diversity in energy sources, a more productive and competitive economy, improved environmental quality, and a secure national defense. |
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| The process of changing regulatory policies and laws to increase competition among suppliers of commodities and services. The process of deregulating the electric power industry was initiated by the Energy Policy Act of 1992. (See also Restructuring) |
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Definition
| Under the First Law of Thermodynamics, efficiency is the ratio of work or energy output to work or energy input, and cannot exceed 100 percent. Efficiency under the Second Law of Thermodynamics is determined by the ratio of the theoretical minimum energy that is required to accomplish a task relative to the energy actually consumed to accomplish the task. Generally, the measured efficiency of a device, as defined by the First Law, will be higher than that defined by the Second Law. |
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Definition
| The amount of work accomplished by electrical power, usually measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). One kWh is 1,000 Watts and is equal to 3,413 Btu. |
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Term
| energy policy act of 1992 (EPAct) |
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Definition
| A comprehensive legislative package that mandates and encourages energy efficiency standards, alternative fuel use, and the development of renewable energy technologies. Public Law 102-486, October 24th, 1992. Also authorized the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to order the owners of electric power transmission lines to transmit or "wheel" power for power generators including electric power providers, federal power marketing authorities, and exempt wholesale generators. |
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| energy security act of 1980 |
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Definition
| Legislation authorizing a U.S. biomass and alcohol fuel program, and that authorized loan guarantees and price guarantees and purchase agreements for alcohol fuel production. |
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Term
| energy service company (ESCO) |
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Definition
| A company that specializes in undertaking energy efficiency measures under a contractual arrangement whereby the ESCO shares the value of energy savings with their customer. |
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Term
| ethanol- ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH) |
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Definition
| A colorless liquid that is the product of fermentation used in alcoholic beverages, industrial processes, and as a fuel additive. Also known as grain alcohol |
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Term
| House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment |
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Definition
| part of the congressional (energy) committees;This committee has legislative jurisdiction and general and special oversight and investigative authority on all matters relating to energy and environmental research and development and demonstration. |
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Term
| House Water and Power Committee |
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Definition
| part of the congressional (energy) committees;This committee has oversight over the generation and marketing of electric power from federal water projects by federally charted or Federal RPM authorities, measures and matters concerning water resources planning, compacts relating to use and apportionment of interstate waters, water rights or power movement programs, measures and matters pertaining to irrigation and reclamation projects and other water resources development programs. |
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| Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources |
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Definition
| part of the congressional (energy) committees;This committee has jurisdiction on: coal production, distribution and utilization; energy policy; energy research, conservation, and development; hydroelectric power; irrigation; mineral conservation; nonmilitary development of nuclear energy; solar energy systems; and over territorial possessions, including trusteeships of the United States. |
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| Senate Subcommittee on Energy Research, Development, Production and Regulation |
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Definition
| part of the congressional (energy) committees;This committee has jurisdiction on the oversight and legislative responsibilities for: coal, nuclear, and non-nuclear energy commercialization projects; DOE National Laboratories; global climate change; new technologies research and development; commercialization of new technologies including, solar energy systems; Federal energy conservation programs; energy information; and power provider policy. |
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