Calculating Electricity and Utility Bills

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering fundamental electrical parameters, Ohm's law, circuit characteristics, and electric utility metering and billing concepts.

Current

The flowing of negative charges from one point to another, represented by the symbol $I$, measured in amperes (amps) using an ammeter.

Electromotive Force (E.M.F.)

The force or energy involved in pushing electric charges around an electrical circuit.

Voltage

The potential difference or energy difference across electrical components, represented by the symbol $V$ and measured in volts ($V$) using a voltmeter.

Resistance

The opposing of the flowing of current, represented by the symbol $R$, measured in ohms ($\Omega$) with a multimeter or determined through calculation.

Ohm's Law

The law stating that the current flowing in a conductor maintained at a constant temperature is proportional to the potential difference (voltage) between its ends, expressed as $V = I \times R$.

Ohm's Triangle

A visual calculation tool with $V$ positioned at the top and $I$ and $R$ at the bottom, where covering the unknown variable indicates whether to multiply or divide the remaining values.

Current in Series

The condition in a series circuit where the electric current remains constant and identical through each connected component.

Current in Parallel

The behavior in a parallel circuit where the total electric current splits up along different branches and recombines at the connecting points.

Voltage in Series

The condition in a series circuit where the voltage is different across individual components due to varying potential difference charges.

Voltage in Parallel

The condition in a parallel circuit where the potential difference or voltage is identical across all parallel branches.

Electric Meter

A device utilized by electrical utility companies to determine and measure the electrical energy consumed by a customer, typically read on a monthly basis.

Digital Meter

A type of electric meter that provides a direct numerical display for simple reading, serving as the standard meter in most Caribbean countries.

Analogue Meter

An electric meter consisting of dials read from left to right whose hands rotate alternately clockwise and anti-clockwise, where the recorded digits are those the hands point to or have just passed.

Total Energy Consumed

The total electricity used during a billing period, calculated by subtracting the previous meter reading from the current meter reading.

Kilowatt-hour ($kWh$)

A standard unit of measurement used by electric companies to quantify electrical energy consumption.

Customer Charge

A fixed fee applied to an electric utility bill independent of the actual kilowatt-hours consumed.

Value Added Tax (VAT)

A mandatory governmental tax levied on the sub-total of an electric bill, set at $12.5\%$ in Trinidad.