2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 25a - Division of Energy Resources › Section 3 - Definitions

Section 3. For the purposes of this chapter the following words shall have the following meanings:—
''Adaptation projects'', public infrastructure projects designed to mitigate adjustments in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli and associated impacts including, but not limited to, changes in processes, practices and built and natural structures to increase resiliency, moderate potential damages or benefit from opportunities associated with climate change.
''Alternative energy development'', shall include, but not be limited to, solar energy, wood, alcohol, hydroelectric, biomass energy systems and renewable nondepletable and recyclable energy sources.
''Alternative energy property'', any property powered in whole or in part by the sun, wind, water, biomass, alcohol, wood, or any renewable, non-depletable or recyclable fuel, and property related to the exploration, development, processing, transportation and distribution of the aforementioned energy resources.
''Building authority'', the University of Massachusetts Building Authority, the State College Building Authority or any other building authority which may be established for similar purposes.
''Clean peak certificate'', a credit received for each megawatt hour of energy or energy reserves provided during a seasonal peak period that represents a compliance mechanism.
''Clean peak resource'', a qualified RPS resource, a qualified energy storage system or a demand response resource that generates, dispatches or discharges electricity to the electric distribution system during seasonal peak periods, or alternatively, reduces load on said system.
''Commissioner'', the commissioner of energy resources.
''Demand response resource'', changes in electric usage by end-use customers in the commonwealth from their normal consumption patterns in response to: (i) changes in the price of electricity over time, including, but not limited to, time-of-use rates for residential and small commercial and industrial customers; or (ii) incentive payments designed to induce lower electricity use at times of high wholesale market prices or when system reliability is jeopardized.
''Department'', the department of energy resources.
''Eligible'', able to meet all requirements for offerors or bidders set forth in section 11C or 11I and section 44D of chapter 149 and not barred from bidding under section 44C of said chapter 149 or any other applicable law, and who shall certify that he is able to furnish labor that can work in harmony with all other elements of labor employed or to be employed on the work.
''End-user'', any individual, corporation, firm or subsidiary of any firm that is an ultimate consumer of petroleum products and which, as part of its normal business practices, purchases or obtains petroleum products from a wholesaler or reseller and receives delivery of that product.
''Energy audit'', a determination of the energy consumption characteristics of a building or facility which: (a) identifies the type, size and rate of energy consumption of such building or facility and the major energy using systems of such building or facility; (b) determines appropriate energy conservation maintenance and operating procedures; and (c) indicates the need, if any, for the acquisition and installation of energy conservation measures or alternative energy property.
''Energy conservation'', shall include but not be limited to the modification of or change in the operation of real or personal property in a manner likely to improve the efficiency of energy use, and shall include energy conservation measures and any process to audit or identify and specify energy and cost savings.
''Energy conservation measures'', measures involving modifications of maintenance and operating procedures of a building or facility and installations therein, which are designed to reduce energy consumption in such building or facility, or the installation or modification of an installation in a building or facility which is primarily intended to reduce energy consumption.
''Energy conservation projects'', projects to promote energy conservation, including but not limited to energy conserving modification to windows and doors; caulking and weatherstripping; insulation, automatic energy control systems; hot water systems; equipment required to operate variable steam, hydraulic and ventilating systems; plant and distribution system modifications, including replacement of burners, furnaces or boilers; devices for modifying fuel openings; electrical or mechanical furnace ignition systems; utility plant system conversions; replacement or modification of lighting fixtures; energy recovery systems; on-site electrical generation equipment using new renewable generating sources as defined in section 11F; and cogeneration systems.
''Energy management services'', a program of services, including energy audits, energy conservation measures, energy conservation projects or a combination thereof, and building maintenance and financing services, primarily intended to reduce the cost of energy and water in operating buildings, which may be paid for, in whole or in part, by cost savings attributable to a reduction in energy and water consumption which result from such services.
''Energy savings'', a measured reduction in fuel, energy, operating or maintenance costs resulting from the implementation of energy conservation measures or projects; provided, however, that any payback analysis to evaluate the energy savings of a geothermal energy system to provide heating, cooling or water heating over its expected lifespan shall include gas and electric consumption savings, maintenance savings and shall use an average escalation rate based on the most recent information for gas and electric rates compiled by the Energy Information Administration of the United States Department of Energy.
''Local governmental body'', a city, town, district, regional school district or county, or an agency or authority thereof, including a housing authority, board, commission, department or instrumentality of a city, town district, regional school district or county, and any other agency which is not a state agency or building authority; or a combination of 2 or more such cities, towns, districts, regional school districts or counties, or agencies or authorities thereof.
''Marine or hydrokinetic energy'', electrical energy from: (a) waves, tides and currents in oceans, estuaries and tidal areas; (b) free-flowing water in rivers, lakes and streams; (c) free-flowing water in man-made channels; or (d) differentials in ocean temperature, called ocean thermal energy conversion.
''Minor informalities'', minor deviations, insignificant mistakes and matters of form rather than substance of the proposal or contract document which may be waived or corrected without prejudice to other offerors, potential offerors or the public agency.
''Non-renewable energy supply and resource development'', shall include but not be limited to gasoline, natural gas, coal, nuclear energy, offshore and onshore petroleum, and facilities related to the exploration, development, processing, transportation and distribution of such resources and programs established for the allocation of supplies of such resources and the development of supply shortage contingency plans.
''Person'', any natural person, business, partnership, corporation, union, committee, club, or other organization, entity or group of individuals.
''Petroleum products'', propane, gasoline, unleaded gasoline, kerosene, #2 heating oil, diesel fuel, kerosene base jet fuel, and #4, 5, and 6 residual oil for utility and non-utility uses, and all petroleum derivatives, whether in bond or not, which are commonly burned to produce heat, power, electricity or motion or which are commonly processed to produce synthetic gas for burning.
''Qualified energy storage system'', an energy storage system, as defined in section 1 of chapter 164, that commenced commercial operation or provided incremental new capacity at an existing energy storage system on or after January 1, 2019; provided, however, that such system operates primarily to store and discharge renewable energy as defined in said section 1 of said chapter 164.
''Qualified provider'', responsible and eligible person able to meet all requirements set forth in section 11C or 11I, and not barred from bidding under section 44C of chapter 149 or any other applicable law and experienced in the design, implementation and installation of energy savings measures.
''Qualified RPS resource'', a renewable energy generating source, as defined in subsection (c) or in subsection (d) of section 11F that has: (i) installed a qualified energy storage system at its facility; or (ii) commenced commercial operation on or after January 1, 2019.
''Reseller'', any person, corporation, firm or subsidiary of any firm that carries on the trade or business of purchasing petroleum products and reselling them without substantially changing their form or any wholesaler or retail seller of electricity or natural gas.
''Responsible'', demonstrably possessing the skill, ability and integrity necessary to faithfully perform the work required by a particular contract, based upon a determination of competent workmanship and financial soundness in accordance with section 11C or 11I and section 44D of chapter 149.
''Responsive offeror'', a person who has submitted a proposal which conforms in all respects to the requests for proposals.
''Seasonal peak periods'', the daily time windows during any of the 4 annual seasons when the net demand of electricity is the highest; provided however, that a seasonal peak period shall be not less than 1 hour and not longer than 4 hours in any season, as determined by the department.
''State agency'', any agency, authority, board, bureau, commission, committee, council, department, division, institution, officer or other agency of the commonwealth, including quasi-public agencies.
''Useful thermal energy'', energy in the form of direct heat, steam, hot water or other thermal form that is used in production and beneficial measures for heating, cooling, humidity control, process use or other valid thermal end use energy requirements and for which fuel or electricity would otherwise be consumed.
''Wholesaler'', any person, corporation, firm or any part or subsidiary of any firm which supplies, sells, transfers or otherwise furnishes petroleum products to resellers or end-users.