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One-time enrollment · 12-month access
Enroll NowGroup pricing available →Every capital approval is also a rate decision. This course shows you why utilities invest, how a project becomes part of rates, and what to ask before you vote, with no accounting background needed.
This course explains how utilities plan and approve capital investment. It is written for board members, council members, commissioners, attorneys, and regulatory staff who do not have an accounting background.
You learn why aging assets, reliability, and growth drive most spending, and how a project moves from approval to rate base and onto the bill. You see what an integrated resource plan does, how solar, wind, and storage are recorded, and how to read a multi-year capital plan. A sample cooperative, Prairie View Electric, carries through the capital plan examples.
You finish with five tests of a capital decision and a list of questions to ask before you vote on a budget, a major project, or a debt authorization.
Explain how utilities plan capital investment, including the asset lifecycle, the three investment drivers, and the replace-or-repair decision.
Why capital spending is not optional: the asset lifecycle, the three drivers, and the deferred maintenance trap.
The full chain from approved project to customer bill, and why every authorization is also a rate decision.
What an integrated resource plan is, how load is forecast, and how options are evaluated.
How solar, wind, and batteries are recorded, depreciated, and included in rate base.
How to read a multi-year capital plan and how it turns into future rates.
The four capital decisions, five tests, red and green flags, and the questions to ask before voting.
