Glossary
Glossary
Learn the key concepts for electricity and mobile plans. Clear explanations help you make better contract decisions.
Electricity
Spot-priced electricity
An electricity contract where the price varies by the hour according to the spot price on the Nord Pool power exchange.
Spot price
The market price of electricity, set hourly on the Nord Pool power exchange based on supply and demand.
Electricity transmission charge
The fee charged by the network company for transmitting electricity from the power plant to your home. The network company cannot be chosen.
Electricity tax
An excise tax levied by the state on electricity. In Finland the rate is 2.253 cents/kWh (tax class I, households).
Margin (electricity contract)
The premium added by the supplier on top of the spot price in a spot-priced contract, typically 0.25-0.99 cents/kWh.
Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
The unit of electrical energy. One kilowatt-hour equals one hour of use of a 1,000-watt appliance.
Electricity consumption
The amount of electrical energy used by a household or business, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
Fixed-price electricity contract
An electricity contract where the energy price (cents/kWh) stays the same throughout the term, typically 1-3 years.
Comparing electricity contracts
The process of comparing different suppliers' offers to find the most affordable electricity contract.
Electricity transmission
The delivery of electricity from the power plant to the consumer via the grid. Handled by the local network company.
District heating
A centralised heating system in which hot water is piped from a power plant to buildings through a network of pipes.
Geothermal heating
A heating system that uses a heat pump to extract thermal energy from the ground or bedrock.
Mobile
Mobile subscription
A subscription contract for a mobile phone or device, covering calls, text messages and mobile data.
5G network
The fifth generation mobile network, offering faster data and lower latency than 4G.
Data speed (Mbit/s)
A mobile subscription's data transfer speed in megabits per second. Indicates how fast data is transferred.
Unlimited subscription
A mobile subscription where calls, text messages and data are unlimited for a fixed monthly fee.
Prepaid subscription
A mobile subscription topped up in advance with no monthly fee. You pay only for what you use.
Roaming
Using your mobile subscription abroad on another operator's network. In the EU/EEA roaming is often unrestricted.
eSIM
A built-in, digital SIM that requires no physical card. Switching is done remotely.
Phone number porting
Transferring your existing phone number to a new operator when switching subscriptions. The transfer is free.