Glossary

Aggregation
Pooling groups of customers together to gain better buying power.

Certification
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio requires that all governmental aggregation programs be certified. This process includes governance plan development, public hearings, certification documents and ongoing reports.

Electric distribution company
The public utility providing facilities for the transmission and distribution of electricity to retail customers.

Electric generation supplier
A firm or company that sells electric generation supply or related services to end-use customers using the transmission or distribution facilities of an electric distribution company.

Generation charges
Basic service charges for generation supply to retail customers. This excludes charges for transmission or other charges related to electric service.

Generation shopping credit
The amount as calculated by the electric distribution company (EDC) that a customer is credited for the generation used for that account. FirstEnergy Solutions program offers a fixed discount off that figure each month. While the credit changes monthly, the customer is guaranteed to save the fixed percentage each month.

Governance plan
A document that governs the creation and existence of an aggregation

Opt-out notification
A letter sent to each participant informing them of their inclusion in the program unless they decide to opt-out by the deadline. Must include the price, all terms and conditions, and an environmental disclosure.

Opt-out period
The period of time in which program participants can choose not to participate in the aggregation program. The opt-out period must be at least 21 days.

Rescission letter
A letter sent from the EDC to each participant in the program, informing them that their electric generation supplier is going to be switched. If the customer does not wish to switch, they are given seven days to call the EDC and rescind.

Shopping credit
The amount not paid to the local utility if the customer buys power from another supplier. It is the price a customer should use to determine savings when buying electricity from a new supplier, rather than paying the utility's regulated rates.

Supplemental opt-out                                                                                              An opt-out conducted for residents that have recently moved into the community and were not included in the original opt-out.

(05/31/07)