Have correct vocabulary when talking about electric energy it is essential to understand what we are talking about and to understand in detail the terms indicated on the bill It is in the contract with your supplier.
For this reason it is worth analyzing all those most common words in the sector that you need to know and, clearly, understand properly in order to navigate the current energy context and no longer have any doubts about it.
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1. Electricity, most common terms
Energy it is a term that derives from Greek and can be translated as action, work in progress and ability to act. In the case of theelectric energytherefore, we are referring to that type of energy associated with electric current.
To produce this energy we rely on what are defined energy sourcesthat is, those phenomena or substances that are capable of releasing a certain power.
These energy sources are divided into renewable and non-renewable; the first are those who exploit the sun, the wind, the force of wateril heat which comes from the center of the earth, i waste organic materials and all those elements that can be transformed into energy without ever running out or which, in any case, are capable of self-regenerating at a rate equal to or greater than human consumption.
Renewable sources are also called sustainable as they can be used without produce polluting substances and without having a negative impact on the planet. A fundamental speech for the future of all humanity and to arrive at what is defined as energy sustainability which consists in using exclusively clean energy sources to meet the needs of the global population.
On the contrary, non-renewable sources are all those elements destined to run out over time, such as fossil fuelsand which can also have a negative impact on the planet and its resources.
Electrical power in International Metric System is measured in Watt, a term that originates from the Scottish inventor James Watt. With this unit of measurement, clearly, the performance of all the various electrical devices that we commonly use is measured, from light bulbs until you get to the various ones appliances in the house.
When we talk about large quantities of electricity (such as the daily consumption of an entire house) we are talking about Kilowatts (kW) which corresponds to 1,000 W. To understand consumption and electricity bills, naturally, we need to think in these terms by applying them to an hour, thus obtaining he kWhwhich must be considered to understand what the consumption of the various devices corresponds to.
Moving forward we arrive at Megawatt (MW) which corresponds to 1 million watts, a unit used to measure very large amounts of current, such as those in power plants.
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2. The meter, what it is and how it works
Il electricity meter It is used to measure the electricity consumption (indicated in kWh) of each user connected to the network.
Simply put, this tool takes care of detect consumption of each user e send them to the supplier which will provide issue the bill based precisely on these findings.
The first meters installed were mechanics and consumption was detected thanks to the rotation of a metal disk, the speed of which was proportional to the power in use. Each complete revolution corresponded to a certain amount of energy consumed.
I modern metershowever, they are a much smarter solution and can be managed remotely via remote management, with the electricity company being able to carry out various operations remotely, such as the increase in powerthe deactivation and the data transmission. Furthermore, this new system allows the monitoring of consumption in real time, significantly streamlining communication with the service manager.
As just said, one of the peculiarities of the meter is that users can choose the power needed for their homeIn fact, in the case of a house with many appliances, it may be necessary to increase the power, going from the standard 3 kW up to a maximum of 6 kW.
Clearly here we need to distinguish between power used which is the one indicated in the supply contract and the available power which is the real value available to users, in this second case the various operators provide a 10% compared to the data on the contract, therefore in the case of a power of 3 kW it can reach up to 3.3 kW.
Finally the instant power it is the absorption of a device at a given time.
Still speaking of the electricity meter, it is also good to talk about the codice PODa 14-character alphanumeric code that serves to uniquely identify each individual user and precisely indicates the point where electricity is withdrawn in the national territory.
Furthermore, it is also a necessary code for various operations such as activationil I take overthe transferil change of supplier (even if the POD remains the same) e the assistance. You can find it on your bill or on the meter itself.
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3. Energy market, what you need to know
At this point it is also worth delving into terms such as protected market e free market.
In the first case we refer to an energy supply regime intended for families and small businesses, where it is purchased electricity distributed by the government following the rates defined by‘He cried (Regulatory authority for energy, networks and the environment).
In the case of free market, instead, different providers can define the rates intended for its customers so as to feed one healthy competitiveness among the various players in the sector. In this case we are talking about a much more convenient context and, very often, it is based on renewable energy sources
Both depend directly on the trend of the PUN (Single National Price) which represents the wholesale price of electricity purchased on the electricity market Europen Electricity Exchange.
Starting from June2024the protected market regime will end and users will necessarily have to choose a new supplier to rely on.
Here we must, however, make a distinction between vulnerable consumers e not vulnerable. The first category includes:
- Users over 75 years of age;
- Users in disadvantaged economic conditions;
- Users suffering from disabilities pursuant to law 104/92;
- Users residing in an emergency context due to calamitous events.
All those who fall into these categories will continue to be served by the same provider through a protection service, which offers greater “protection” to these users.
“Non-vulnerable” customers” and those who they don’t choose a new supplier of the free market, will be automatically assigned to auction-winning producer in the reference area and will become part of this service called “Gradual Protection“.
To find out more you can visit the ARERA website and freely consult the list of suppliers who have won the auction in your area and to whom you will be assigned if you access Gradual Protection with the possibility of choose a different supplier at any time.
To know more: Electricity, new technologies in the name of sustainability and energy saving