Glossary of Terms

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P

Paper Hearing: A procedure established by the Commission designed to permit the full development of a record for Commission decision, without the need for full adjudication before an Administrative Law Judge. The purpose of “paper hearings” is to shorten the amount of time necessary for the Commission to reach a final decision concerning a complex matter. Generally, the Commission itself requests the filing of information it believes necessary in order to render a decision, and permits parties to file comments on the information provided. “Paper hearings” were first established in Gas Inventory Charge cases.
Parking: Temporarily storing a shipper’s excess gas so that shipper doesn’t have to sell it at depressed prices.
Partial Looping: A method for increasing carrying capacity of a pipeline by constructing a series of pipe sections parallel to the main pipeline for a portion of the distance between compressor or pump stations and connecting them to the main pipeline at the beginning and end of each segment. This reduces pressure drop in the portions of the pipeline that are “looped” (i.e., with parallel sections), allowing an increased pressure drop in the unlooped sections and, thus, an increased flow rate. Over time, a series of partial loops may be constructed resulting in a complete, second, parallel pipeline. At which time the pipeline will be totally looped.
Participant: The unit used by a utility to measure participation in its DSM programs; usually customers or households in the case of residential programs.
Passive Solar Energy: Using the sun to help meet energy needs through architectural design, such as the orientation of a building, arrangement of windows and choice of materials to conserve heat in winter and dissipate it in summer.
Payback Period: The time required for the cumulative operational saving of a DSM (or other) option to equal the investment cost of that option.
Peak Day: The one day (24 hours) of maximum system deliveries of gas during a year. Peak day data is used to, among other things, determine the allocation of certain costs between classes of service. The Commission sometimes required allocation based on an average of three continuous days of maximum deliveries (i.e., three day peak). See also DESIGN DAY.
Peak Day Allocation: See DESIGN DAY AVAILABILITY.
Peak Day Curtailment: Curtailment imposed on a day-to-day basis during periods of extremely cold weather when demands for gas exceed the maximum daily delivery capability of a pipeline or distribution system. Peak day curtailment is applied independent of seasonal curtailment and does not affect overall authorized volumes to customers under seasonal curtailment. See SEASONAL CURTAILMENT.
Peak Day Design: See DESIGN DAY.
Peak Day Method: An allocation method used to allocate demand costs to customer classes based on peak day.
Peak Day Sendout: See SENDOUT.
Peak Demand: The maximum electric load, including losses experienced by a system, in a given period. It is the actual demand by all system customers plus losses.
Peak Hour: The one-hour period of greatest total gas sendout or use.
Peak Load: See DEMAND, MAXIMUM.
Peak Load: The maximum load consumed or produced by a unit or group of units in a stated period of time.
Peak Load Plant or Peaker Unit: A power plant used during maximum load periods. A peaker generally has quick start up time per megawatt energy costs, but often has low capital costs. Generally, it’s used only during peak demand periods like a long hot summer.
Peak Responsibility: The load of a customer, a group of customers, or part of a system at the time of occurrence of the system peak.
Peak Shaving: The use of fuels and equipment to generate or manufacture gas to supplement the normal supply of pipeline gas during periods of extremely high demand. This method prevents the expensive alternative of expanding pipeline facilities.
Peak Shaving: Reduction of peak demand for natural gas or electricity.
Peaking: Providing the gas that an LDC or other customer needs to get though an unexpectedly high-demand period.
Performance-Based Rates (or Regulation): An alternative to cost-of-service rates (or regulation). In this method, rates are adjusted to reflect a utility’s practice of exceeding targets for efficiency, cost-savings or customer satisfaction. Essentially, the utility and its customers share the rewards of excellent performance. For example, if the utility meets improved efficiency targets, the customers can enjoy lower rates and the utility is allowed to keep some of the savings.
Photovoltaic Conversion: Direct conversion of the sun’s energy into electricity using photovoltaic cells.
Pig: A device used to clean the internal surface of a pipeline. Pigs are usually barrel shaped, made of metal, and covered with metal brushes. They may also have rubber or plastic cups and be made entirely of plastic. They are inserted into the pipeline by means of a device called a pig-trap and pushed through the line by pressure of the flowing fluid, usually gas. The forward movement of the pig, together with its rotation, cleans the rust, liquids, and other undesired substances from the pipeline; also called a go-devil.
Pile, Sacrificial: A mass of metal, usually scrap metal, used as an anode when a rectifier is used in cathodic protection. Also, the magnesium and aluminum anodes used in cathodic protection but which do not require an outside impressed voltage.
PIPR: Phase In Plan Rate: The PIPR includes all construction financing costs associated with the Cheyenne Prairie Generating Station and applies to all rate schedules for all classes of service
Purchase Capacity Cost Adjustment (PCCA): The PCCA recovers capacity-related costs not currently being recovered through base rates. For example when the Company enters into a purchase power contract with a third party, and the costs associated with that purchase power contract is not included in base rates, this rider would recover such costs.
Purchase Capacity Cost Adjustment (PCCA): The PCCA is to recover capacity costs which are a component of BHE-COE’s purchase power agreement (PPA) with Public Service Company of Colorado, a division of Xcel Energy, under which the utility receives approximately 75 percent of the power that is supplied to BHE-COE customers.