UtilityAPI Glossary

This glossary defines common terms that you might see as you're working in UtilityAPI or throughout our Help Center. 🔍

• Authorization
  Represents a customer's permission to share their utility data. Once authorized, UtilityAPI links a customer's utility account to our platform enabling users to get data from the meters needed. 

• Base Bill Block
  Provides basic information about the bill, such as billing period, total charges, and due dates.

• Base Meter Block
  Contains fundamental details about the meter, including service address, meter number, and status.

• Billing Account
  Represents a customer's billing account, which may encompass multiple services or meters.

• Billing Summary
  Provides a summarized view of charges and payments for a billing account over a specific period.

• Bill
  An invoice detailing charges for meter usage. UtilityAPI collects bill data and, even if a paper bill covers multiple services, it separates the data for each meter.

• Blocks
  Structured data segments within API responses, providing detailed information about bills, intervals, or other entities.

• Charge Kind
  Categorizes the type of charge in a line item, such as 'energy', 'demand', or 'tax'.

• Demand Block
  Details demand charges on a bill, representing the highest level of power usage during a billing period.

• Electric Details Block
  Provides information about the electric service, including service voltage and phase.

• Enrolled Programs Block
  Lists programs the service is enrolled in, such as net metering or time-of-use plans.

• Event
  Notifications generated during authorization and data collection processes. Events can be used to track the status and history of these operations.

• Form
  A customer-facing authorization form used to request access to utility data. Forms can be created, modified, and submitted via the API.

• Green Button
  An industry-standard protocol for sharing utility data. UtilityAPI supports Green Button standards, allowing data export in XML format and OAuth-based authorization for data sharing.

• Green Button OAuth
  A method for customers to authorize data sharing using the Green Button Connect My Data standard. UtilityAPI facilitates this process for supported utilities.

• Interval
  Electricity usage data over specific time periods. With smart meters, utilities can collect usage in small increments, and UtilityAPI provides this data when available.

• Line Item Block
  Breaks down individual charges on a bill, detailing each component such as usage charges, fees, and taxes.

• Meter
  In UtilityAPI, the term "meter" refers to a utility service. The /meters endpoint lists these services, which may or may not have a physical meter but will always have a service_identifier.

• Notes
  Annotations or comments associated with API objects, useful for adding context or tracking changes.

• Power Block
  Contains information about reactive power or power factor, indicating the efficiency of power usage.

• Program Block
  Details programs the service is enrolled in at the time of the bill, such as energy efficiency or renewable energy programs.

• Rate Limits
  To ensure fair usage, UtilityAPI may limit the number of API requests. For example, avoid making more than one bill or interval data request per minute.

• Service Account ID (SAID
  An abbreviation for the utility service identifier.

• Sandbox Mode
  A testing environment where third-party applications can simulate data access and authorization processes without affecting real customer data.

• Service
  A contract to provide utility services to a utility customer at a specific location. While often associated with a physical meter, some services (like outdoor lighting) may not have a meter.

• Service Class Type
  Indicates the classification of the service, such as residential, commercial, or industrial.

• Supplier Bill Block
  Provides information about third-party suppliers or Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs) associated with the bill. Supplier block is available on the Bills API endpoint.

• Supplier Info
  Details about any third-party or CCA suppliers for a meter, typically drawn from the latest bill.

• Tariff
  The utility rate schedule assigned to a service. In UtilityAPI, this is referred to as service_tariff to avoid confusion with other rate-related terms.

• Template
  A predefined format for authorization forms, allowing for consistent data collection requests across multiple customers.

• Test Accounts
  Predefined accounts that are used within the sandbox environment to simulate various customer scenarios, such as residential or commercial accounts.

• Tier Bill Block
  Breaks down charges based on usage tiers, showing how different levels of consumption are billed.

• Time of Use Bucket
  Categorizes usage into time-of-use periods, such as peak or off-peak hours, for billing purposes.

• TOU Block
  Provides a breakdown of charges based on time-of-use periods, reflecting varying rates throughout the day.

• Utility Account Holder
  A utility customer who provides UtilityAPI and a user permission to access their data
  

• Universal Base Block
  A foundational block that includes common attributes shared across different block types, ensuring consistency in data structure.

• Voltage
  Information about the service voltage provided to the meter, indicating the electrical potential difference.

• Webhooks
  User-defined HTTP callbacks that notify applications when specific events occur within UtilityAPI, such as data collection completion.

For more detailed information, please refer to our API docs or the UtilityAPI Help Center.