a current in which charged particles travel through a circuit in only one direction
what is alternating current (AC)?
a current in which electrons move back and forth in a circuit
what is a transformer?
an electrical device that changes the size of the potential difference of an alternating current
what is a circuit breaker?
a safety device that is placed in series with other circuits, which lead to appliances and outlets
whats a fuse?
a safety device that is found in older buildings and some appliances; like a circuit breaker it is placed in series with other circuits whcih lead to appliances and outlets
what is electrical power?
the rate at which an appliance uses electrical energy
what is a watt (w)?
a unit of electrical power
what is a kilowatt (kW)?
a practuical unit of electrical power;
1kW= 1000 W
what is electrical energy?
the energy that is used by an appliance at a given setting; determined by multiplying the power rating of an appliance by the lenght of time it was used
what is a kilowatt hour (kW.h)?
the practical unit of electrical energy
what is an EnerGuide label?
a label that gives details about how much energy and appliance uses in a normal year of use
what is a smart meter?
a meter that records the total electrical energy used hour by hour and sends this information to the utlility company automatically
what is time of use pricing?
a system of pricing in whcih the cost of each kW.h of energy used is different at different times of the day
what is a phantom load?
the electricity that is consumed by an appliance or device when it is turned off
what is efficiency?
the ration of useful energy output to toatl energy input, expressed as a percentage.
percent efficiency= useful energy output
total energy input x 100
what is a base load?
the continuous minmum demand for electrical power
what is hydroelectric power generation?
the generation of electrical power useing a source of moving water
what is a renewable energy source?
a source fo energy that an be replaced in a relatively short period of time
what is a non-renewable energy source?
a source of energy that cannot be replaced as quickly as it is used
what is an intermediate load?
a demand for electricity that is greater than the base load and is met by burning coal and natural gas
what is a peak load?
the greatese demand for electricity, whcih is met by using hydroelectric power and natural gas
what is solar energy?
energy that is directly converted from the sun into electricity
what is photovoltaic effect?
the generation of a direct current when certain materials are turned to light
what is biomass energy?
energy that is generated from plant and animal matter