Understand the utility without becoming an accountant. Built for board members, city council members, department heads, and consultants — covering how the industry works, financial statements, KPIs, and how electric rates are built. No accounting background required.
Board members, city councils, and department heads are asked to approve budgets, rate studies, and major investments, often without a finance background. Consultants, attorneys, and new staff face the same gap when they work with a utility for the first time. That gap makes it harder to ask good questions and to work across departments.
This series fills that gap. Four practical courses build the industry context, financial literacy, and analytical framework any utility leader needs, without requiring an accounting background. No prerequisites, no jargon, just clear, relevant knowledge you can use in your next meeting.
How electricity is generated, delivered, and priced — how utilities and co-ops are structured, who does the work, and what the industry of the future looks like. The essential starting point for every board member.
What utility financial statements really show, what matters most, and the questions that lead to better governance decisions — written for board members, not accountants.
The KPIs that matter most for utility financial health and operational performance — and how board members can use them to monitor results and ask better questions of management.
How electric rates are built from the ground up — revenue requirements, cost allocation, and rate design — and what board members should be asking when reviewing or approving a rate study.
"As an operations manager I always felt out of my depth when budget season came around. These courses gave me the financial context I needed to actually contribute to the conversation instead of just nodding along."
"We sent four of our city council members through this track before our rate study review. The quality of their questions to our consultant was noticeably better. It made the whole process more productive for everyone in the room."
Russ Hissom is a nationally recognized expert in utility accounting and ratemaking, with more than 35 years of experience helping electric utilities and cooperatives navigate FERC, RUS, FASB, and GASB accounting standards. As founder of UtilityEducation.com, Russ has built a comprehensive CPE curriculum drawing on decades of hands-on work with regulatory accounting, construction accounting, and rate case support for investor-owned utilities, public power, and electric cooperatives.
No. This series is designed for professionals who work in or around utilities but don't come from accounting or finance. The language is clear and practical — focused on building real industry knowledge, not on accounting theory.
Yes. Boards, councils, and management teams often go through this track together, and group enrollment options are available. Use the Buy 3 Seats or Buy 5 Seats options on this page, or email or call 608-628-4020 to discuss larger groups.
All video lessons, downloadable slides, exercises, and templates for all four courses. 12 months of access from purchase. Study at your own pace, on desktop, tablet, or mobile.
Having a deeper understanding of the electric business, how rates are recovered from customers, and how what you do impacts financial results will deepen your foundational knowledge and help you provide value to the organization. What you do impacts the organization and its customers.
You will have 12 months from the date of purchase to complete the courses. Take each course in bite-sized morsels and you'll be finished before you know it.
Email or call 608-628-4020. We welcome questions anytime.
