Rates Professional
Build a complete foundation in utility rate-setting — from electric rate study fundamentals through water pricing strategy and electric vehicle rate design. Practical, applied, and built specifically for utility and cooperative rate professionals.
Rate-setting knowledge built for utility and co-op professionals
Rate studies drive nearly every major financial decision at a utility or cooperative — yet most finance and engineering professionals never receive formal training in how rates are actually built. This track closes that gap with three practical, applied courses covering the full spectrum of contemporary rate-setting challenges.
Starting with electric rate study fundamentals — revenue requirements, cost-of-service analysis, and rate design — the track then expands into water pricing strategy and the rapidly growing field of electric vehicle rate design. Real-world examples throughout. No prior rate study experience required for Course 1.
- Rate analysts at electric utilities and cooperatives
- CFOs and controllers who review or present rate studies
- Engineers involved in cost-of-service or rate design work
- Finance managers at water or multi-service utilities
- Board members who approve rates and need to understand the process
- Consultants and regulators who work with utility rate filings
After completing this track you will be able to:
From rate study fundamentals to advanced rate design
Three courses covering the full rate-setting toolkit — from building revenue requirements and allocating costs to water pricing strategy and EV rate design. Earn 4.0 NASBA CPE hours and a Rates Professional Certificate.
Recommended sequence
Course 1 builds the foundation. Courses 2 and 3 expand into specialized rate areas — take them in order or independently once you have the fundamentals.
A practical introduction to the electric ratemaking process — how revenue requirements are built, how costs are allocated across customer classes, how rates are designed, and what questions boards and management should ask when reviewing or approving a rate study.
How water utilities and multi-service cooperatives approach pricing — volumetric rates, tiered structures, fixed charges, affordability considerations, and the financial sustainability tradeoffs that shape real-world water rate decisions.
EV adoption is reshaping load profiles and creating new cost-recovery challenges. This course covers how to design EV-specific rates that recover infrastructure costs equitably, encourage off-peak charging, and position your utility competitively as the EV market grows.
"I've been involved in rate studies for years but never had a systematic framework for how revenue requirements actually connect to the rates our customers see. Course 1 filled that gap in a way no consulting engagement ever did."
"Our co-op added water service two years ago and I was flying blind on pricing. The water pricing course gave me the language and framework to have intelligent conversations with our consultant and actually push back when something didn't make sense."
"The EV rates course came at exactly the right time for us. We had a commercial customer asking about fleet charging and no idea how to price it fairly. The course gave us a defensible framework we could take to our board."
Russ Hissom, CPA has worked on rate studies and rate proceedings for electric utilities and cooperatives across the United States for over 35 years — appearing before state commissions, advising boards, and helping finance teams understand the numbers behind the rates they charge every day. These courses reflect that hands-on experience: here's how rate-setting actually works, here's what consultants sometimes gloss over, and here's what every finance professional needs to know.
Frequently asked questions
Utility Accounting and Rates Specialists, LLC is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: NASBAregistry.org.
Master utility rate-setting from the ground up
Earn 4.0 NASBA CPE hours and a Rates Professional Certificate. Electric rate fundamentals, water pricing, and EV rate design — the complete rate-setting toolkit for utility and cooperative professionals.
Refunds and cancellations: Requests for refunds must be made in writing within 30 days for purchasing the course. No refunds will be granted after the qualified assessment has been completed. For any concerns, please contact us at 608 628 4020 or at russ.hissom@utilityeducation.com .