Get yourself in the know with our glossary of energy terms

So, to help you out, we’ve put together a small glossary of some really common terms used within the energy industry that you can refer back to if you’re unsure on anything!

General terms

• Joule (J) – this is unit of energy which refers to the force required to transfer mass from one space to another.
• Watt (W) – refers to a unit of electrical power used to quantify the rate of energy transfer.
• Kilowatt (kW) – equivalent to 1000W.
• Kilowatt Hour (kWh) – measure of electrical energy consumption equivalent to using 1000W (1kW) for a period of one hour.
• Current – the flow of electricity in an ordered direction.
• AC Power – an alternating current that reverses direction (used commonly in power supplies).
• DC Power – electricity that flows in a single direction.
• Voltage (V) – the strength of an electrical current that travels down a cable.
• Amps (A) – a unit of electrical current.
• Inverter – a piece of equipment that converts direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC) or vice versa.
• Transformer – a piece of equipment that modulates the voltage of a current so that it can be transferred from one circuit to another.
• Breaker – a switch that protects an electrical circuit from damage by automatically stopping the flow of electricity if an overload or short circuit is detected.
• Earth – the common return path for electrical current in a circuit.
• Frequency (Hz) – the hertz is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units, equivalent to one event per second.
• Triad – this refers to the three half-hour periods of highest electrical demand on the National Grid. These are between November and February every year.
• DUoS – Distribution Use of System charges are applied to your energy bill to recover the cost of distributing electricity and maintaining local distribution networks.

Terms used in the Solar PV Sector

• Mounting Rail – a rail that’s attached to your roof which secures solar panels to it.
• D-marc Edge Protection – a barrier system used on flat roofs which are designed to prevent access to hazards during regular roof top maintenance.

Those are the basics! If you keep this glossary handy, you won’t have any issue navigating the technical jargon associated with our industry. Of course, If you’re interested in making a purchase from us and you’re still a bit unsure on a few things, we’re more than happy to help guide you through thee process.

Our experts have over 30 years of combined experience, having helped SMEs and large corporations across a wide variety of sectors transform their business’ energy supply. Each of our installations is bespoke, and we tailor your solution on your specific energy profile, helping us to maximise carbon reductions and save you up to thousands of pounds in energy bills. Feel free to look at our case studies for just a few examples of businesses which have reaped huge rewards from solar, such as Boeing and Irish Water. To find out how we can help you, feel free to give us a call today on 01282 421 489!