Acronyms, Anacronyms, Abbreviations, Solar & EverBright Terms

A&A

Assignment and Assumption

A legal document used in home sale transfers to transfer the solar agreement from the seller to the buyer

ABS

Asset Backed-Security

AC

Alternating Current

The type of electricity used in homes and on the grid, converted from DC by an inverter.

ACH

Automated Clearing House

This is the process that financial institutions use to move funds between each other.

ACW

After Call Work

After Call Work (ACW), also known as Wrap-Up Time or Post-Call Work, refers to the tasks that a call center agent completes after finishing a call with a customer. These tasks are crucial for maintaining accurate records and ensuring smooth follow-ups

AHJ

Authorities Having Jurisdiction

Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) are governmental or non-governmental entities responsible for enforcing building codes, fire codes, and other regulations in a given jurisdiction.

AM

Account Manager

EverBright Employee responsible for interaction with a particular organization

AG

Attorney General

The Attorney General (AG) is the chief legal officer of a country, state, or other jurisdiction.

APN

Assessor's Parcel Number

An Assessor's Parcel Number (APN) is a unique identifier assigned to each parcel of land by the local government for property tax purposes. The APN is used to track and identify property in the public records.

AS

Account Servicing (See also Launch Servicing)

ASA

Average Speed of Answer/American Solar Advantage

AVL

Approved Vendor List

The list of manufacturers that provide the equipment that can be used in EverBright projects.

Backup Battery

Battery with the ability to backup specific circuits in a home during a power outage.

Battery Storage

Systems that store the electricity generated by solar panels for later use, providing energy during nighttime or cloudy days.

BI

Business Intelligent

BPS

Building Plan Set

M2 Operations Task, construction plan for the solar system. Once built, referred to as an As-built in M3.

Buydown Payment

For Retail Installment Contracts (RICs), whereby you own the solar system, a buydown payment is a lump sum payment made by the 18th month of the contract to keep your monthly payment amounts the same for the remainder of the solar financing agreement.

CA

Credit Application or Customer Agreement

CCA

Community Choice Aggregators

Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs) in California are local government entities that aggregate the buying power of individual consumers within a defined jurisdiction to procure electricity on their behalf, offering an alternative to the investor-owned utilities (IOUs) like Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). While CCAs manage the procurement of electricity, the incumbent IOUs continue to handle the physical delivery of power, maintenance of the electrical grid, and customer billing.

CECU

Clean Energy Credit Union

CED

Construction Equipment Distribution (Concert/Beam)

Provider of equipment through the EverBright Direct Pay program.

CI

Confidential Information

CM

Channel Manager

COC

Certificate of Completion

COI

Certificate of Insurance

Consumption

The amount of electricity you use, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).

CP

Channel Partner

CPUC(G)

California Public Utilities Commission (Guide)

Consumer protection document the proceds any California contract

CSLB

Contractors State License Board

D&B

DC

Direct Current

The type of electricity produced by solar panels.

Dealer Model

Business model in which the EPC , or licensed contractor, hires sales organizations to focus on selling the systems.

DEV

Development

Programming/software tasks needed to the EverBright Platform

DFO

Digital First Omnichannel

Environment’s softphone, which is integrated within Salesforce. This helps to ensure all agents can efficiently manage Calls, Chats, and Email Interactions.

DP

Direct Pay

DPT

Deal Processing Team

DWC

Digital Welcome Checklist

Checklist completed online by a client who has just signed the financial agreement for a RIC or PPA

EB

“EverBright” Residential Solar Financing Provider

EBH

EverBright Homeowner

EECU

Educational Employees Credit Union

The Educational Employees Credit Union (EECU) is a not-for-profit financial institution that is owned and operated by its members. EECU primarily serves educators, school employees, and their families, offering a range of financial services such as checking and savings accounts, loans, and credit cards

EIAID

Energy Information Administration ID

EN

English (language)

ENB

Enerbank

EPC

Engineering, Procurement, and Construction

This term is generally used to refer to the licensed contractor performing the construction of the solar system.

ES

Spanish (language)

EV

Electric Vehicle

An Electric Vehicle (EV) is a type of vehicle that is powered entirely or partially by electricity, rather than using traditional internal combustion engines that run on gasoline or diesel.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

FNI

Financial Network Inc

Credit qualification service

GFS

Greentech Finance Solutions

GridTie Battery

A grid tie battery system allows the excess electricity generated by the solar panels to be stored in batteries or fed back into the grid. Powershift is not a grid-tied battery. It does not allow for backup power but is installed at a lower cost.

GTE

Green Think Energy

HCO

Homeowner Change Orders

Contract re-sign is required if the client's financial responsibility changes

HIC

Home Improvement Contract

Contract between the client and the sales and/or installation company

HIS

Home Improvement Salesperson

A person who is employed by a licensed contractor to solicit, sell, negotiate or execute contracts for which home improvements may be performed.

HO

Homeowner

HOA

Homeowners Association

Group with the responsibility/authority to permit outside residential projects

ICO

Installer Change Order

Documentation showing changes to a project in EverBright platform

ID

Identification

Installer Partner

Installers who have applied and been approved to sell EverBright products.

IOU

Investor-Owned Utilities

Investor-owned utilities (IOUs) are private enterprises owned by investors or shareholders. They operate to generate profits by providing public utilities such as electricity, gas, and water. Unlike publicly owned utilities, IOUs are regulated by state utility commissions to ensure that they provide safe, reliable, and reasonably priced services to customers. The primary goal of IOUs is to maximize returns for their investors while maintaining their regulatory obligations and meeting the needs of their customers.

IP

Integrated Partner

Installer who is not a direct EverBright partner but sells EverBright products under an approved EverBright partner. An IP can be graduated to a MISA Installer, whereas a Sales Org is just selling solar (not installing).

IRA

Inflation Reduction Act ( IRA-Kickers) 

ITC

Federal (IRS) Investment Tax Credit or Investment Tax Credit

IVR

Interactive Voice Response

A way of routing inbound phone calls

KB

Knowledge Base

Database of articles offering help

KBA

Knowledge-Based Authentication

A verification process where users answer questions based on their personal information to confirm their identity

KPI

Key Performance Indicator

Leads

Leads are installers or solar sales organizations interested in selling EverBright products.

LOA

Letter of Agreement

A Letter of Agreement (LOA) is a written document that outlines the terms and conditions agreed upon by two or more parties in a formalized way. It serves as a mutual understanding of the obligations, responsibilities, and expectations of each party involved.

M1, M2, M3

Milestone (1,2,3)

Designation for a collection of tasks to be accomplished by an installer that trigger their payments

MISA

Master Installment Service Agreement (Contract between installer and EverBright)

MOS

Mosaic Financial Service

MSP

Managed Service Provider

Offshore review team

MPU

Main Panel Upgrade

NBT

Net Billing Structure

NCCO

No Cost Change Order

NEE

NextEra Energy

NEM

Net Energy Metering

NEM 3.0

Net Energy Metering

Net Energy Metering 3.0 (NEM 3.0) is a policy framework that governs how solar energy system owners are credited for the excess electricity they generate and send back to the grid. It typically involves a billing arrangement where solar energy system owners receive credits on their electricity bills for the excess electricity they export to the grid, which can offset the electricity they consume from the grid when their solar panels are not producing enough power. NEM 3.0 often includes updated rules and rates compared to earlier versions, reflecting changes in technology and policy goals. Went into effect in CA in 2023.

NINP

No Interest No Principal

Non-Backup Battery

A non-backup battery is not designed to provide backup power in the event of a power outage. Instead, it is typically used to store energy for specific applications, such as in off-grid solar power systems or for load shifting in grid-tied systems. These batteries are not connected to critical loads and are not intended to provide power during outages. This is the battery type in Powershift products.

NPE

Next Phase Energy

NTP

Notice To Proceed

Official written notice from the client or project owner to the contractor, indicating that the contractor can begin work on the project. The notice to proceed typically includes important information such as the start date of the project, the project schedule, and any other specific instructions or conditions that the contractor must follow. Once the contractor receives the notice to proceed, they are authorized to start work on the project according to the terms and conditions of the contract. Some installer partners refer to M1 approval as NTP.

OB/OTBD

Outbound

OEM

Original Equipment Manufacturer

Refers to the company that manufacturers the solar equipment, such as panels, inverters or batteries.

Offset

The percentage of your total electricity use that is supplied by your solar power system. The higher the offset, the more your solar system supports your home’s total energy needs, potentially reducing your utility bill.

OKR

Objectives and Key Results

O&M

Operations & Maintenance

OOO

Out of Office

Ops

Operations

Org

Organization

PACE

Property Assessed Clean Energy Financing

One of the earliest forms of solar financing

PBI

Performance-Based Incentive

PD

Proposal Desk

PII

Personally Identifiable Information

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) refers to any data that can be used to identify a specific individual. This information can be used on its own or in combination with other information to uniquely identify, contact, or locate a person.

PLCU

Point Loma Credit Union

PPA

Power Purchase Agreement

PTC

Personal Tax Credits

PTO

Permission to Operate

The final approval granted by the utility company allowing a solar system to be turned on and connected to the grid

Rep

Representative

RGM

Revenue Grade Meter

A Revenue Grade Meter (RGM) is a type of power meter that meets the accuracy requirements set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). RGMs are crucial for accurately recording and reporting solar energy production, especially for incentive programs like Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs) and performance-based incentives (PBIs)

RSD

Remote System Design

Remote System Design, refers to the process of designing a solar energy system without physically visiting the installation site. Instead, the design is based on remote tools and technologies such as satellite imagery, aerial photography, software modeling, and customer-provided information.

RIC

Retail Installment Contract

Sales Org

In a dealer model, a licensed installer or EPC hires sales orgs to sell solar systems to homeowners. Sales orgs do not have a MISA with EverBright nor are they paid by EverBright. They have contracts with the installer they work for.

SAP/SAP ID

NextEra Vendor ID for financial payments

SAPC HIC

Solar Home Improvement Contract

SAV

Solar Access Value

Refers to the percentage of solar energy a solar panel system is expected to receive based on shading, orientation, tilt, and other environmental factors. It represents the system's solar exposure efficiency and helps determine the optimal energy production potential of the solar panels.

SCN

Sustainable Community Network

SDG&E

San Diego Gas and Electric

major utility in southern CA, subject to NEM 3.0

SGIP

Self-Generation Incentive Program

SIA

Solar Installation Agreement

SLA

Service Level Agreement

A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a formal contract between a service provider and a customer that defines the level of service expected from the service provider. It typically includes specific performance metrics, responsibilities, and expectations to ensure that both parties understand their roles and obligations.

SOP

Standard Operating Procedure

A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is a set of step-by-step instructions compiled by an organization to help its employees carry out routine operations. SOPs aim to achieve efficiency, quality output, and uniformity of performance while reducing miscommunication and failure to comply with industry regulations.

SREC

Solar Renewable Energy Credits

SS

Software Support

SSN

Social Security Number

SPR

System Photo Review

SSO

Single Sign-On

STC

State Tax Credits

STE

Support Training/Testing Environment

Subcontractor

TDU

Transmission and Distribution Utility

A Transmission and Distribution Utility (TDU) is a regulated utility company responsible for transmitting and distributing electricity from power generation facilities to end consumers, such as homes and businesses. The TDU manages the infrastructure and delivery of electricity.

TOU

Time Of Use

When utility rates changed based on time-of-day

TPO

Third-party Ownership

UB

Utility Bill

UUID

Universal Unique Identifier

Vertically Integrated Installer 

Installer who does not use sales orgs outside of their organization to sell systems to homeowners.

VM

Voicemail

VPP

Virtual Power Plant

WC

Welcome Call

Questions answered verbally by a client who has just signed the financial agreement for a RIC or PPA

WO

Work Order

Workflow

The sequence of steps or tasks that are necessary to complete a process of getting a project through the EverBright milestones to reach PTO.

Workout Partner

Installer requested by EverBright to complete projects begun by another installer. This generally occurs when the installer who initiated the jobs goes out of business or out of compliance with EverBright MISA.