Code of Maryland Regulations
Title 20 - PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
Subtitle 51 - ELECTRICITY SUPPLIERS
Chapter 20.51.01 - General Provisions
Section 20.51.01.02 - Definitions
Universal Citation: MD Code Reg 20.51.01.02
Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 6, March 22, 2024
A. In this subtitle, the following terms have the meanings indicated.
B. Terms Defined.
(1) "Administrator" means the person appointed as administrator for a qualified offshore wind project under COMAR 20.61.06.09.
(1-1) "Affiliate" means a person that directly or indirectly, or through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, is under common control with, or has any economic interest in another person.
(2) Aggregator.
(a) "Aggregator" means an entity or an individual that acts on behalf of a customer to purchase electricity.
(b) "Aggregator" does not include:
(i) An entity or individual that purchases electricity for its own use or for the use of its subsidiaries or affiliates;
(ii) A municipal electric utility serving only in its distribution territory; or
(iii) A combination of governmental units that purchases electricity for use by the governmental units.
(3) "Applicant" means a person applying for an electricity supplier license.
(4) "Application" means a written request for an electricity supplier license.
(5) "Broker" means an entity or individual that acts as an agent or intermediary in the sale and purchase of electricity but does not take title to electricity.
(6) "Commission" means the Public Service Commission of Maryland.
(7) "Competitive billing service" means the:
(a) Invoicing for electricity supply or electricity supply services to a retail customer; and
(b) Processing of payment for electricity supply or electricity supply services to a retail customer.
(8) "Contract for energy assistance households" means a residential retail energy supply contract that meets the legal requirements of Public Utilities Article, §4-308, Annotated Code of Maryland, and any other applicable requirements in the Public Utilities Article in connection with a supplier's supply service for customers who are part of an energy assistance household.
(9) "Debt service coverage" means a ratio of cash flow dedicated to pay a specific debt to the total amount of debt payments required to be made.
(10) Electric Company.
(a) "Electric company" means a person that physically transmits or distributes electricity in the State to a retail electric customer.
(b) "Electric company" does not include:
(i) An owner/operator that holds ownership in and manages the internal distribution system serving a building and supplies electricity and electricity supply services solely to occupants of the building for use by occupants;
(ii) A lessee/operator that holds a leasehold interest in and manages the internal distribution system serving a building and supplies electricity and electricity supply services solely to occupants of the building for use by occupants;
(iii) Any person that generates on-site generated electricity; or
(iv) A person that transmits or distributes electricity within a site owned by the person or person's affiliate that is incidental to a primary landlord-tenant relationship.
(11) Electricity Supplier.
(a) "Electricity supplier" means a licensed person that:
(i) Sells electricity, electricity supply services, competitive billing services, or competitive metering services; or
(ii) Purchases, brokers, arranges, or markets electricity or electricity supply services for sale to a retail electric customer.
(b) "Electricity supplier" includes an electric company, an aggregator, a broker, and a marketer of electricity, including by means of supplier-consolidated billing.
(c) "Electricity supplier" does not include:
(i) An owner/operator that holds ownership in and manages the internal distribution system serving a building, and supplies electricity and electricity supply services solely to occupants of the building for use by the occupants;
(ii) A lessee/operator that holds a leasehold interest in and manages the internal distribution system serving a building, and supplies electricity and electricity supply services solely to occupants of the building for use by the occupants; or
(iii) A person that generates on-site generated electricity.
(12) "Electricity supply services" means the retail procurement of:
(a) An electricity supplier;
(b) Metering, billing, including supplier-consolidated billing under Subtitle 53 of this title or meter data management services; or
(c) Other competitive services traditionally provided by an electric company.
(13) "Energy assistance household" means that the Office of Home Energy Programs found that the service address or household associated with the utility account qualified for an electric assistance program during the current or previous fiscal year. For a utility that provides both gas and electric service, an energy assistance household means that the Office of Home Energy Programs found that the service address or household associated with the utility account qualified for an electric or gas assistance program during the current or previous fiscal year.
(14) "Energy assistance program" means the following programs administered by the Maryland Office of Home Energy Programs by which a customer receives financial assistance paying their electricity utility bills, which includes but is not necessarily limited to:
(a) The Maryland Energy Assistance Program;
(b) The Electric Universal Service Program; and
(c) The Arrearage Retirement Assistance Program.
(15) "Fiscal year" means the 12-month period that begins on July 1 of a calendar year and ends June 30 of the next calendar year.
(16) "Independent system operator" means an entity authorized by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to control a regional transmission grid.
(17) "License" means the authority granted by the Commission to a person to do business as an electricity supplier.
(18) "Marketer" means a person that purchases and takes title to electricity as an intermediary for sale to a customer.
(19) "Negative stockholders' equity" means total assets are less than the sum of total liabilities, preferred stock, and intangibles.
(20) "Net income" means sales less costs incurred from operations.
(21) "Person" means an individual, receiver, trustee, guardian, personal representative, fiduciary, representative of any kind, partnership, firm, association, corporation, or other entity.
(22) "Positive current working capital" means current assets exceed current liabilities.
(23) "Positive stockholders' equity" means total assets exceed the sum of total liabilities, preferred stock, and intangibles.
(24) "Regional transmission operator" means a person that performs the same transmission system coordination functions as an independent system operator.
(25) Retail Electric Customer.
(a) "Retail electric customer" means a purchaser of electricity for end use in the State.
(b) "Retail electric customer" does not include:
(i) An occupant of a building in which the owner/operator or lessee/operator manages the internal distribution system serving the building and supplies electricity and electricity supply services solely to occupants of the building for use by the occupants; and
(ii) A person that generates on-site generated electricity, to the extent the on-site generated electricity is consumed by that person or its tenants.
(26) "Standard offer service" has the meaning stated in Public Utilities Article, §7-501, Annotated Code of Maryland.
(27) "Supplier-consolidated billing (SCB)" means a form of competitive billing service in which a gas or electricity supplier is authorized by the Commission to render a bill to a retail gas or electric customer that includes both the supplier charges and the gas or electric company's regulated charges.
(28) "System transmission operator" means a person that performs the same transmission system coordination functions as an independent system operator.
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