Utility services, encompassing electricity, water, gas, and more, are fundamental to the functioning of modern society and large enterprises alike. Efficient management of utility services involves understanding a variety of technical and regulatory terms.
This resource is designed to provide professionals in utility management, finance, IT, and related fields with a comprehensive guide to the most common acronyms in the utility sector. Additional resources are available via the Gartner glossary.
This Resource Covers
Each acronym is accompanied by its full form and a brief description to provide context and enhance your understanding.
Utility Services Acronyms
A/C – Air Conditioning
AEMO – Australian Energy Market Operator
AMI – Advanced Metering Infrastructure
AMR – Automatic Meter Reading
ANSI – American National Standards Institute
AWWA – American Water Works Association
B2B – Business to Business
B2C – Business to Consumer
BAS – Building Automation System
BCM – Business Continuity Management
BEMS – Building Energy Management System
BMS – Building Management System
BTU – British Thermal Unit
CAD – Computer-Aided Design
C&I – Commercial and Industrial
CAIDI – Customer Average Interruption Duration Index
CAGR – Compound Annual Growth Rate
CAPEX – Capital Expenditure
CBM – Condition-Based Maintenance
CCP – Critical Control Point
CDM – Clean Development Mechanism
CHP – Combined Heat and Power
CIP – Critical Infrastructure Protection
CIS – Customer Information System
CMMS – Computerized Maintenance Management System
COGEN – Cogeneration
CPP – Critical Peak Pricing
CRM – Customer Relationship Management
CSG – Coal Seam Gas
CT – Current Transformer
DA – Distribution Automation
DCS – Distributed Control System
DER – Distributed Energy Resources
DERMS – Distributed Energy Resource Management System
DGA – Dissolved Gas Analysis
DMS – Distribution Management System
DNP3 – Distributed Network Protocol
DOE – Department of Energy
DR – Demand Response
DSM – Demand-Side Management
DSS – Decision Support System
DT – Digital Twin
EAM – Enterprise Asset Management
EEP – Energy Efficiency Plan
EMS – Energy Management System
EPC – Engineering, Procurement, and Construction
ESCO – Energy Service Company
EV – Electric Vehicle
FERC – Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
FMEA – Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
GAAP – Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
GASB – Governmental Accounting Standards Board
GCC – Gulf Cooperation Council
GHG – Greenhouse Gas
GIS – Geographic Information System
GPM – Gallons Per Minute
HVAC – Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning
IEC – International Electrotechnical Commission
IEEE – Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
IoT – Internet of Things
IPP – Independent Power Producer
IRP – Integrated Resource Planning
ISO – Independent System Operator
JOULE – Unit of energy
kVA – Kilovolt-Ampere
kW – Kilowatt
kWh – Kilowatt-hour
LCOE – Levelized Cost of Energy
LED – Light Emitting Diode
LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
LNG – Liquefied Natural Gas
LPWAN – Low-Power Wide-Area Network
LPG – Liquefied Petroleum Gas
LRT – Load Reduction Test
M&V – Measurement and Verification
MCC – Motor Control Center
MEP – Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing
MTBF – Mean Time Between Failures
MTTR – Mean Time to Repair
MW – Megawatt
MWh – Megawatt-hour
NERC – North American Electric Reliability Corporation
NIST – National Institute of Standards and Technology
NOC – Network Operations Center
NRC – Nuclear Regulatory Commission
O&M – Operations and Maintenance
OEM – Original Equipment Manufacturer
OPEX – Operating Expense
PHEV – Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle
PPA – Power Purchase Agreement
PPE – Personal Protective Equipment
PV – Photovoltaic
R&D – Research and Development
RFP – Request for Proposal
RFQ – Request for Quotation
ROA – Return on Assets
ROE – Return on Equity
ROI – Return on Investment
RTO – Regional Transmission Organization
RTU – Remote Terminal Unit
SAIDI – System Average Interruption Duration Index
SAIFI – System Average Interruption Frequency Index
SCADA – Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
SLA – Service Level Agreement
SOP – Standard Operating Procedure
SPCC – Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure
SPV – Special Purpose Vehicle
T&D – Transmission and Distribution
TOU – Time of Use
UPS – Uninterruptible Power Supply
V2G – Vehicle to Grid
VAR – Volt-Ampere Reactive
VFD – Variable Frequency Drive
VPP – Virtual Power Plant
WAMS – Wide Area Measurement System
WMS – Work Management System
WTP – Water Treatment Plant
WUI – Water Use Intensity
WWTP – Wastewater Treatment Plant
The author, Rob Halik, is a Senior Analyst at Tellennium, specializing in Managed Mobility Services, Telecom Expense Management, and Utility Bill Management. With over 25 years of industry experience, Rob offers enterprise expense management insights to help businesses streamline operations and reduce costs. This article is a collaborative effort by Tellennium’s expert team members, including Greg McIntyre, Shawn Veitz, Matt McIntyre, and Todd Givens, who together bring over 100 years of industry experience to the table.
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