Amperage measures the apparent power in an electrical circuit. It is like the flow rate of water in a river. The measure in Kilo Volt Amperes is the product of the circuits maximum current and voltage rating. Kilo Volt Amperes Reactive is a measure of the reactive power e.g. the unused power generated by reactive components in a generator. 

A control box cabinet. Normally housed in a metal box on the road-side. They may look like ‘connection points’ (see below) but are not used for this purpose. They are there to help Unison manage the wider network system.

A point at which Unison’s electricity network connects to your electrical system for your house or building. The cables and fuses are housed in a variety of coverings like plastic or steel pedestals or cabinets on the side of streets, or wall and pole mounted variations of the same.  Not all these housings you see may belong to Unison. Many belong to telecom or fibre suppliers.

Electricity is conveyed over our network from bulk points of supply (grid exit points) to individual homes and businesses. The network is made up of electrical assets such as lines, transformers, substations, control rooms etc that distributors like Unison use to carry electricity from hydro, wind, solar generators to consumers with connection points on our network.

A legal right to use another person’s land. We use easements when putting equipment (such as poles or transformers) on your land (or your neighbour's land), or when we need to inspect or maintain our assets on your property or neighbouring properties. Easements are also recorded on your property’s certificate of title.

Find out more here

A connection is energised when Unison turns on the flow of power to your connection point (see above).

The network fuses control the flow of energy to your property. They are designed to rupture if that flow gets unsafe or could damage your property. The supply to your house is “energised” when Unison plugs the fuse in at your connection, and the energy can begin to flow to your house or building. 

This is another name for the electrical control panel in your house or building. See the explanation for Meter Board above.

Installation Control Point (ICP) is the point at which a retailer is deemed to supply electricity to you. Each ICP is assigned a unique number by their retailer. ICP numbers are shown on all electricity accounts. Unison can’t connect you to its network until you have an account with a retailer and they give us your ICP number and details.

Pillars (also known as gyro, pod or service box) connect your service main to our network if you have an underground service cable, rather than an overhead service line. Pillars are usually plastic boxes on the boundary of your property.

Another form of pedestal or point of supply. JM’s are lockable cabinets housing Unison’s network equipment. 

Kilovolt being 1,000 volts. Voltage is a unit of measure that describes the pressure that pushes electricity and is a function of the electric potential between two points. Most houses and buildings are connected to low voltage cables that use 230 volts of alternating current (AC) to push the electricity to your house.

Wattage is a measure of the amount of power flowing and may also be used to indicate the maximum capacity of an electrical device. A kilowatt equals 1,000 watts of power. 

A kilowatt-hour is also known as a unit of electricity and is the basis of retail sales (billing) of electricity. Your electricity meter records the amount of electricity you use in kWh (kilowatt-hours). A kWh is one kilowatt (kW) of electricity used for one-hour (h). A kWh is equal to 1000 watts used over a one-hour period. For example, 1 kWh = 10 x 100 watt light bulbs burning for one hour.

An inspector needs to check the integrity of the supply cable, service mains and metering board to your house | building before it is safe to liven it. The are usually independent agents who verify work done by your electrician before Unison can energise your connection.

When a connection is 'livened', electricity can flow from the electricity distribution network to the connection. Livening must be done by a certified agent  authorized by Unison. Livening is the final act in a new connection project.

The equipment that monitors your electricity or gas use. This is usually in kilowatt-hours for electricity.

This is the electrical control panel for your house or building.  It’s the where your electrician puts the mains switch, circuit breakers and fuses that both connect and protect all the wiring and devices they’ve laid throughout your building. Often also called a fuse box, meter board or electrical panel. 

Those black, green plastic or metal boxes you see at the road-side where Unison houses the connection point to your property. 

The electrical circuits carrying current and load to your house or building. There can be single or multiple phases and circuits. Your electrician will advise which you need.  The phasing and amperage they recommend will likely reflect the electrical appliances and uses you expect to have at your home or building, the distance from your home to Unison’s nearest assets, and the configuration and capacity of our network in that area.

Essentially this is another name for your connection point.  In relation to a property this generally means the physical point or points on the boundary of your property at which exclusive fittings enter that property. Some networks may define this in other ways e.g. the isolating fuse located either on the boundary of your property or on the pole nearest to your property.

Concrete or wooden pole that holds Unison’s network lines, insulators, circuit breakers, arrestors and sometimes transformer assets above ground.

A company that sells electricity or gas to you. Your retailer monitors how much energy you use through the meter and you pay them for your electricity and/or gas use. See also electricity retailer.

Find out more here. 

Ring Main Units (RMU) control a ring of cables that operate like a highway loop around your home or area | suburb. They RMU units operate like traffic controllers, ensuring smooth power distribution to everyone connected to that loop, and preventing voltage drops.

Safelink switches are safety devices that manages the safety of the electrical highway controlled by the ring main unit in the description above.

The line or cable that connects your property to our network. Your service main is owned and maintained by you and is not part of our network.

A tariff is the basis or price for which you are charged for the electricity you use. Unison’s tariffs make up about 1/3 of the total price your retailer will charge you.  Our network tariffs are based on the size or ‘capacity’ of the connection we’ve made to your property and cover the costs of carrying  electricity from generators who can be hundreds of km away right up to your property. 

Power is transported at high voltage for efficiency and transformed to lower voltages as it gets closer to where it is needed. Transformers are the network equipment that transforms or steps down (or up) the voltage used in the network lines to the level you need for your home or business.