Term Glossary
Definitions for Arcadia, API, tariff, calculation, rate, and energy-industry terms used throughout the Signal documentation.
Use this glossary when you need a quick definition before continuing through a Signal guide or API reference page.
Core Arcadia and API terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Signal | Arcadia’s API product for retrieving utility, tariff, rate, usage, and calculation data. |
| Dash | Arcadia’s web interface for managing organizations, applications, and API access. |
| Org | An organization in Arcadia Dash that scopes API access, shared data, and applications. |
| App | An application in Arcadia Dash that owns API credentials. |
| appId | The application identifier used for API authentication. |
| appKey | The private application key used with appId for API authentication. |
| API | Application Programming Interface; the interface used to request and receive data from Arcadia. |
| REST | Representational State Transfer; the API style used by Arcadia’s HTTP endpoints. |
| JSON | JavaScript Object Notation; the response and request body format used by Arcadia REST APIs. |
| SSO | Single Sign-On; an authentication method that lets users access systems through a central identity provider. |
| HTTP Basic Authentication | An authentication method where appId and appKey are passed as credentials with each API request. |
| requestId | A unique identifier for an API request, useful when contacting support. |
| fields=ext | A request parameter that returns the extended field set for an API response. |
| populateRates | A request parameter that returns tariff rate details in the API response. This has implications for unique tariff usage in your billing metrics. |
| populateProperties | A request parameter that returns tariff properties in the API response. |
Utility and tariff terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Load Serving Entity (LSE) | A utility or other entity that serves electricity load for a customer location. LSEs are identified by lseId in Arcadia APIs. |
| lseId | The Arcadia identifier for a Load Serving Entity. |
| Tariff | A utility rate plan that defines who the plan applies to, what rates are charged or credited, and how charges are calculated. |
| tariffId (TID) | The Arcadia identifier for a specific version of a tariff. A tariff can have multiple versions over time. |
| masterTariffId (MTID) | The stable Arcadia identifier for a family of tariff versions. Tariff versions can change over time, but related versions share a masterTariffId. |
| Rate book | A utility-published document that defines tariffs, rates, charges, and applicability rules. |
| Rider | A charge or set of charges that can apply across multiple tariffs. |
| Territory | A geographic area used to define utility service areas, baseline regions, climate zones, or other location-based tariff behavior. |
| Baseline Region | A sub-territory where tariff rates or limits vary based on customer location, commonly used in California tariffs. |
| Rate Criteria | Tariff properties that affect which rates apply in a calculation, such as connection type, baseline region, program participation, or other customer-specific attributes. |
| customerLikelihood | A value that estimates how likely a tariff is to apply relative to other returned tariffs. |
| effectiveOn | A date filter used to retrieve the tariff version effective on a specific date. |
| openOn | A date filter used to return tariffs open to new enrollment on a specific date. |
| closedDate | A tariff field indicating when a tariff closed to new enrollment. |
| endDate | A tariff field indicating when a tariff version ends. |
Calculation terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| On-Demand Cost Calculator | Arcadia’s calculation API used to calculate utility costs from tariffs, usage, rates, and other inputs. |
| Bill Solve | A calculation mode that estimates electricity usage in kWh from a known bill cost. |
| Calculated Cost Item (CCI) | A line item in a calculation response that shows part of the calculated cost, such as a fixed charge, consumption charge, demand charge, tax, or credit. |
| propertyInputs | Calculation request inputs that provide usage, demand, tariff criteria, or other property values used by the calculation engine. |
| rateInputs | Calculation request inputs that add or override rates, such as taxes, contracted rates, or user-adjusted rates. |
| detailLevel | A calculation request parameter that controls how detailed returned cost line items should be. |
| groupBy | A calculation request parameter that controls the time granularity of returned cost line items, such as month, day, hour, or quarter-hour. |
| billingPeriod | A calculation request setting that tells the calculator whether the date range should be treated as a billing period for prorating fixed and demand charges. |
| Ratchet demand | A demand billing method where current charges are based partly on historical peak demand. |
| System Peak Demand | A demand value based on the customer’s usage during grid-wide peak intervals. |
Rate and charge terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Tariff rate | An individual charge or credit within a tariff, such as a fixed charge, consumption charge, demand charge, or tax. |
| Tariff rate band | A tier or band within a tariff rate that defines limits, rates, and applicability for a portion of usage or demand. |
| chargeType | A rate field that describes the kind of charge, such as fixed, consumption-based, demand-based, quantity, tax, or minimum. |
| chargeClass | A rate classification that describes the role of the charge, such as supply, distribution, contracted, or user-adjusted. |
| chargePeriod | The period over which a charge applies, such as hourly, daily, or monthly. |
| transactionType | A field that defines whether energy is bought, sold, imported, exported, or netted. |
| Consumption charge | A charge based on energy usage, usually measured in kWh. |
| Demand charge | A charge based on the customer’s peak power demand, usually measured in kW or kVA. |
| Contracted rate | A custom or third-party supply rate used in deregulated markets where energy supply and delivery charges are separate. |
| User-adjusted rate | A custom rate passed into a calculation through rateInputs to add or adjust charges. |
| Forecasted rate | A forward-looking rate estimate used for future utility cost calculations. |
| Utility Users Tax (UUT) | A local utility tax that may apply to utility bills. |
| Time of Use (TOU) | A rate structure where prices vary based on when energy is used, such as on-peak, off-peak, or partial-peak periods. |
| Net Billing Tariff (NBT) | A tariff structure where imported energy and exported energy are billed or credited separately. This is becoming the standard approach many utilities are taking as they transition away from net metering. |
| Net Metering (NM) | A tariff structure where exported energy offsets imported energy, often at a one-to-one retail credit. More cost advantageous for customers, but this measure is steadily transitioning to net billing in recent years. |
Formula and lookup terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| formulaDetail | The formula expression used to calculate a derived property value. |
| PropertyKey | A reusable property definition used in tariffs, calculations, formulas, lookups, and rate criteria. |
| variableRateKey | A key that identifies a variable or indexed rate source. |
| variableRateSubKey | A sub-key used to select a specific value within a variable rate source, such as a market delivery point. |
| variableLimitKey | A key that identifies a formula used to calculate variable tier limits. |
| lookbackPeriod | A property field describing the historical period used to calculate a value, often for demand calculations. |
| lookbackIntervalQuantity | A property field describing the interval length, in minutes, used in lookback calculations. |
| lookbackTimeOfUseId | A field that points to the Time of Use definition used in a lookback calculation. |
Energy industry terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Deregulated market | An electricity market where customers may choose their energy supplier while still receiving delivery service from the local utility. |
| Supply rate | The rate charged for the electricity commodity itself. |
| Delivery rate | The rate charged for transmission and distribution services (infrastructure) that delivers electricity to the customer. |
| Transmission | The high-voltage movement of electricity across the grid. |
| Distribution | The local delivery of electricity from the grid to homes and businesses. |
| T&D | Transmission and Distribution; delivery services that move electricity over the grid to a customer site. |
| True-up | A reconciliation period where accumulated credits, charges, or exported energy values are settled. |
| Block and index rate | A contracted rate structure with fixed-price energy blocks and an indexed price for usage above the block. |
| Sellback | A contract feature where unused block energy is credited back at an index price. |
| Delivery point | A market location used to determine indexed energy prices. Within Arcadia's market data these would exist as variableRateSubKey entries. |
| C&I | Commercial and Industrial; customer classes for non-residential electricity users. |
| ISO | Independent System Operator; an organization that operates part of the electric grid and electricity market. |
| CCA | Community Choice Aggregator; an entity that procures electricity supply for customers in some markets. |
| PJM | A regional transmission organization and electricity market used in some contracted and index rate examples. |
| ERCOT | Electric Reliability Council of Texas; the grid operator referenced in System Peak Demand examples. |
| PV | Photovoltaic; solar generation technology used in solar PV systems. |
| EV | Electric Vehicle; sometimes used in tariff eligibility or applicability filters. |
Units
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| kWh | Kilowatt-hour; a unit of energy consumption. |
| kW | Kilowatt; a unit of power demand. |
| kVA | Kilovolt-ampere; a unit of apparent power sometimes used for demand billing. |
| kVAR | Kilovolt-ampere reactive; a unit of reactive power sometimes used in utility billing. |
| kVARh | Kilovolt-ampere reactive hour; a unit of reactive energy. |
Utility abbreviations
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| PG&E | Pacific Gas & Electric, a California utility. |
| SCE | Southern California Edison, a California utility. |
| SDG&E | San Diego Gas & Electric, a California utility. |
| BGE | Baltimore Gas & Electric, a utility used in usage and tariff examples. |
| PECO | A Pennsylvania electric and gas utility used in contracted rate examples. |
| ConEd | Consolidated Edison, a New York utility used in contracted rate examples. |
Updated 1 day ago