Overview -The Regulatory Process
Discussion of the basic principles underlying regulation, the regulatory process, key players in that process, and how regulation can impact your company.

Utility Revenue Requirements
The starting point of a Commission’s determinations is the total revenue that a utility can reasonably be allowed an opportunity to earn which is referred to as the “revenue requirement.” Topics will cover such items as tracker cost accounting, double recovery and other important issues that must be decided to arrive at revenue requirements.

Cost of Service Studies and Issues
If rates are to reflect the cost of providing service, it is critical to have a solid cost of service study in order to identify the cost of serving the various customer classes. Essentially, this involves splitting the revenue requirement among customer classes. How this is done and the pitfalls and differences of opinion that make this one of the more contentious portions of a utility rate case will be discussed.

Rate Design Issues
Once both the total utility and customer class revenue requirements are established there is still much to be done to ensure reasonable rates. The importance of properly setting each component of rates so that individual customers will each make their proper contribution to the utility revenue requirement will be covered. Various rate design tools such as time differentiated rates, voltage differentiated rates and interruptible rates that can be used to allow customers to benefit from achieving load profiles that also benefit the system and its other customers , will also be discussed.

Competitive Retail Electric Procurement
Review of the competitive procurement process that can be used to efficiently select an energy provider, the goals of a competitive solicitation and how to develop an RFP that will best accomplish those goals. Will include discussions on the evaluation of responses to RFPs and the contract negotiations that are necessary to finalize the process.

Competitive Procurement Management
Getting the most out of competitive procurement activities requires management beyond the signing of a contract. Topics will focus on the ongoing management process as well as important concepts such as periodic market entry, hedging, market intelligence and demand response participation.

Wholesale Electric Power Markets and Transmission
The workings of wholesale power markets and the transmission grid are important to both customers purchasing under regulation and competitive procurement markets. To better understand this difficult area, concepts such as RTOs, ISOs, ancillary services, RTO dispatch, auctions and more will be covered.

Power Markets / Natural Gas Market
Power and gas markets impact current and future electricity costs.  This topic will cover market regions, market economies, available price data, cash and forward market prices and products.