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Electric Utility Pricing – Trends in Cost Recovery

February 24 - 25, 2027 Denver, CO EUCI

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“Very helpful class to a new rate designer! Important to understand as our industry is facing very challenging times.”

Rate Specialist, Alabama Power Company

“Excellent overview of how rates are designed and the many political and economic factors that go into them.”

Budget & Rates Analyst, Great River Energy

“The course was very informative and very relevant to the rate design professionals.”

Rate and Business Consultant, NRUCFC
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“Awesome course for novices and experienced rate-designers. Speakers were knowledgeable and knew their material.”

Senior Regulatory Accountant, National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation

“The EUCI Rate Design workshop helped me understand the wide array of rate design options we can bring to our customers. I look forward to the next rate case and incorporating these new rate designs for our customers.” 

Regulatory Affairs Analyst, Indianapolis Power & Light

“Great job!”

Regulatory Analyst, WA UTC

“Make rate development positions easier by attending an EUCI course taught by experienced professionals that can be easily understood.”

Administrator – COS, Tampa Electric Co.

“This course was well presented and worth my time.” 

Sr. Manager, Member Relations, Tri-state G&T

“The many years of experience of the instructors was readily evident through their excellent responses to student questions and their engaging discussion of the class topics.”

Manager of Engineering Services, GVEA

“I would highly recommend this course with these speakers for anyone wanting to have a fundamental understanding of rate design.”

Staff Counsel, Kentucky PSC

“Great introduction into the world of ratemaking!” 

Operations Analysis Engineer, NIPSCO

“This program benefits a wide section of industry professionals and facilitates individuals with various backgrounds to work and learn together.”

Counsel, SC House

“I thought each speaker brought a new, different perspective and found each very engaging and informative.” 

Attorney, Winstead PC

“Great class to learn the vernacular and basics of rate design. Perfect class for someone moving into this role at their company.”

Financial Analyst, Green Mountain Power

“Perfect introduction to rate design.”

Power Supply Planning Specialist, FortisBC

Electric utilities are navigating a more complex pricing environment as load growth, distributed energy resources, storage, advanced metering, and changing customer behavior put pressure on traditional approaches to cost recovery. Utilities must recover growing system costs while balancing affordability, equity, revenue requirements, and regulatory objectives. Recent industry research also highlights the challenges of integrating large new loads while protecting existing customers from inappropriate cost shifts.

This two-day program provides a practical look at how utilities can translate cost-of-service results into effective rate designs. Participants will explore traditional and unbundled rates, marginal cost pricing, time-based rates, demand management, special rate provisions, and the pricing implications of solar and storage. Hands-on exercises in cost curves, solar, residential, commercial, and time-of-use rate design reinforce the concepts.

The program also addresses how to communicate rate changes clearly and transparently, connecting cost recovery, rate design, customer impacts, and regulatory objectives in real-world pricing decisions.

Learning Outcomes

  • Explain fundamental utility ratemaking principles and regulatory objectives that influence rate levels and adjustments
  • Identify key trends affecting electric utility pricing, including load growth, advanced metering, distributed energy resources, storage, and changing customer behavior
  • Evaluate how risk, decoupling, and changing utility conditions affect revenue recovery and pricing strategies
  • Assess the cost-recovery and rate-design implications of solar generation and energy storage
  • Develop a special rate design for a solar installation using relevant cost and pricing considerations
  • Calculate bundled, unbundled, and marginal costs using cost-of-service results
  • Construct cost curves and apply them to utility pricing decisions
  • Design bundled rate structures using flat, two-part, three-part, and block rate approaches
  • Differentiate between bundled and unbundled rate structures and their implications for transparency and cost recovery
  • Apply marginal cost concepts to capacity, energy, and transmission pricing
  • Compare time-of-use, real-time, and critical peak pricing approaches based on customer behavior, system costs, and revenue impacts
  • Construct a time-of-use rate by evaluating time periods, cost differentials, price elasticity, load characteristics, and revenue impacts
  • Evaluate special rate provisions, including minimum bills, demand ratchets, standby rates, net metering, and special contracts
  • Develop residential and commercial rate designs that account for cost allocation, customer impacts, and revenue requirements
  • Analyze challenges associated with interclass rate transitions and changing rate structures
  • Communicate proposed rate changes using clear data, visuals, methodology, and customer impact information

Register

REGISTER NOW FOR THIS EVENT:

Individual attendee(s)$ 1595.00 each(early bird rate)
(price after February 5, 2027 is $ 1,795.00)
Volume pricing also available

Individual attendee tickets can be mixed with ticket packs for complete flexibility

Pack of 5 attendees$ 6,780.00 (15% discount)(early bird rate)
(price after February 5, 2027 is $ 7,625.00)
Pack of 10 attendees$ 12,760.00 (20% discount)(early bird rate)
(price after February 5, 2027 is $ 14,360.00)

Your registration may be transferred to a member of your organization up to 24 hours in advance of the event. Cancellations must be received on or before January 22, 2027 in order to be refunded and will be subject to a US $295.00 processing fee per registrant. No refunds will be made after this date. Cancellations received after this date will create a credit of the tuition (less processing fee) good toward any other EUCI event. This credit will be good for six months from the cancellation date. In the event of non-attendance, all registration fees will be forfeited. In case of conference cancellation, EUCIs liability is limited to refund of the event registration fee only. For more information regarding administrative policies, such as complaints and refunds, please contact our offices at 303-770-8800

EUCI retains the right to refuse registration by any individual or company.

Day one

Wednesday, February 24, 2027

Day two

Thursday, February 25, 2027

Agenda

Wednesday, February 24, 2027

Denver, CO

Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:00

Lunch Break

12:00 - 12:30 PM

Adjourn for the day

4:00 PM

8:00 - 8:30 AM

Registration & Continental Breakfast

12:00 - 12:30 PM

Lunch Break

8:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Course Timing

Short breaks will be taken throughout the course (30 minutes total)

Course Overview and Introduction

This opening session will set the stage for the program by outlining the purpose, structure, and requirements of cost-of-service analysis, highlighting where it overlaps with broader utility pricing practices.

  • Introduction
    • Building on cost-of-service
    • Overlap
    • Background and requirements
  • Instructors
  • The process

General Ratemaking and Regulatory Principles

This session will provide an overview of the fundamental principles that guide utility ratemaking, from Bonbright’s framework to modern regulatory objectives. Participants will explore key factors such as equity, competition, simplicity, and social considerations, gaining insight into how competing goals shape rate levels and adjustments.

  • Introduction
  • Bonbright principles
  • Regulations
  • Factors
  • Objectives
  • Ratemaking guidelines
    • Factors
    • Rate adjustments
    • Competing objectives
  • Equity
  • Rate levels
  • Social engineering
  • Competition
  • Simplicity

Electric Utility Pricing: Trends That Matter

This session will examine the fundamental trends shaping electric utility pricing, from global market shifts and advanced metering infrastructure to evolving customer expectations and utility business models. Participants will also explore the pricing implications of risk, decoupling, and emerging strategies for managing uncertainty in a changing energy landscape.  

  • Fundamental trends affecting electric utility pricing
    • Global changes
    • Utility environment
    • Advanced metering infrastructure
    • Customer environment
  • Pricing interface
  • Pricing implications of risk
  • Transactional risk/decoupling
  • Risk management strategies
  • Pricing strategies

Morning Break

Electric Utility Pricing: Trends That Matter (Continued)

This session will focus on emerging pricing considerations tied to solar and energy storage, including methods for valuing solar and addressing rate design challenges. Participants will also engage in a hands-on exercise to apply these concepts by developing a special rate design for a solar installation.

  • Storage
  • Solar rate considerations/value of solar
  • Classroom exercise No. 1: special rate design – solar installation

Lunch Break

Applying Cost-of-Service Results

This session will demonstrate how to apply cost-of-service results by developing and analyzing cost curves, including bundled, unbundled, and marginal costs. Participants will also evaluate competitive alternatives and reinforce their understanding through a hands-on exercise in building cost curves.

  • Cost-of-service overview
  • Developing cost curves
    • Bundled embedded cost
    • Unbundled embedded cost
    • Marginal cost
  • Evaluation of competitive alternatives
  • Classroom exercise No. 2: developing cost curves

Afternoon Break

Traditional Rate Design

This session will introduce the foundations of traditional rate design, covering flat, two-part, three-part, and block rate structures, along with their relationship to cost curves. Participants will apply these concepts in a classroom exercise focused on designing bundled rates.

  • Rate overview
  • Flat rate (energy only)
  • Two-part rate (customer/energy or energy/demand)
  • Three-part rate (energy/demand/customer)
  • Blocked rates
    • Declining
    • Inverted/inclining
  • Wright rate
  • Relationship between rate design and cost curves
  • Classroom exercise No. 3: designing bundled rates

Unbundled Rate Design

This session will explore the principles of unbundled rate design, highlighting the differences between traditional bundled approaches and modern unbundled structures. Participants will examine key strategies for unbundling and how they impact pricing transparency and cost recovery.

  • Unbundled rate overview
  • Traditional bundled vs. unbundled
  • Unbundling strategies

Agenda

Thursday, February 25, 2027

Denver, CO

Continental Breakfast

8:00

Lunch Break

12:00 - 12:30 PM

Adjourn for the day

4:00 PM

8:00 - 8:30 AM

Continental Breakfast

12:00 - 12:30 PM

Lunch Break

8:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Course Timing

Short breaks will be taken throughout the course (30 minutes total)

Marginal Cost Pricing

perspectives, production cost modeling, and marginal capacity, energy, and transmission costs. Participants will also consider the challenges of revenue reconciliation and explore strategies for addressing the reconciliation dilemma.

  • Resources
  • Application and use
  • Short run and long run
  • Marginal capacity costs
  • Production cost modeling
  • Marginal energy costs
  • Marginal transmission costs
  • Revenue reconciliation
  • Dilemma of reconciliation

Time Based Rates and Demand Management

This session will explore the full range of time-based rate structures, including time-of-use, real-time pricing, and critical peak pricing, as well as their relationship to smart metering and demand management strategies. Participants will review regulatory drivers, evaluate design options, and work with examples to understand how time-varying rates influence customer behavior, class load characteristics, and utility revenues.

  • Review of EPAct 2005
  • Time‐of‐use overview
  • Real time pricing
  • Critical peak pricing
  • Load reduction credits
  • Other approaches
  • Smart metering
  • Time‐of‐use
    • Seasonal
    • Daily/hourly
    • Cost differentials
    • Variations
  • ATTACHMENT: Examples of rate design 8‐1 through 8‐6
  • Designing time‐of‐use rate
  • Time periods
  • Cost differentials
  • Price elasticity
  • Changes – Class load characteristics
  • Changes – Revenue
  • Changes – Time related costs
  • Rate level adjustments
  • Demand management

Morning Break

Special Rate Provisions

This session will cover a variety of special rate provisions, including minimum bills, demand ratchets, power factor adjustments, standby rates, and net metering. Participants will also examine how these provisions address unique customer circumstances, support utility cost recovery, and influence rate design strategies.

  • Minimum bills
  • Demand ratchets
  • Power factor
  • Service voltage
  • Paying for growth
  • Customer ownership of facilities
  • Energy cost adjustment charges
  • Net metering
  • Standby rates
  • Feed‐in tariffs
  • Special contracts
  • Others

Lunch Break

Classroom Exercise No. 4a – Residential Rate Design

Afternoon Break

Classroom Exercise No. 4b – Commercial Rate Design

 

Interclass Transitions and Communicating the Plan

This session will address challenges in interclass rate transitions and the use of promotional or special rates, emphasizing how to communicate changes effectively to stakeholders. Participants will learn strategies for presenting data confidently, summarizing the process clearly, and using visuals to highlight key impacts while maintaining transparency.

  • Introduction
  • Rate Form Transition Problems
  • Promotional and Special Rates
  • Communicating the Plan
    • Confidence in Data
    • Summarize Process
    • Known and Measurable Changes to Test Year
    • Do Not Hide Facts
  • Example Graphs
  • Communications Summary

Course Wrap-Up

Instructors

Scott H. Burnham

Partner

NewGen Strategies & Solutions LLC

Mr. Burnham has over 25 years of experience in consulting, management, cost-of-service, feasibility analyses and valuation services. His responsibilities include development of revenue requirements, costs-of-service allocation methodologies, rate design and revenue adequacy studies, utility valuation analyses and other engineering economic analysis. His project feasibility, financing and system acquisition projects have provided clients with a sound financial basis upon which to make decisions on purchasing, selling or modifying facilities. His rate related projects have included those that required the development and review of retail and wholesale electric rates, and rate structures, and analysis of rate riders for interruptible industrial rates, environmental cost adjustment rates, energy / fuel cost recovery and others. He has also assisted industrial customers in rates negotiation and evaluation.

Mr. Burnham has also been involved in feasibility and implementation studies, independent engineering reviews, operation and maintenance reviews, planning studies and valuation studies for generation assets. He has led multiple projects that have focused on determining the value of distributed solar resources to specific utilities. His clients have included municipal utilities, investor-owned utilities, electric cooperatives, and private sector clients.

David A. Berg, P.E.

Principal

Dave Berg Consulting, LLC

Mr. Berg is a Principal with Dave Berg Consulting, LLC, and has more than 40 years of experience. He specializes in consulting services requiring a combination of technical and financial expertise. His electric industry restructuring and pricing work has assisted utilities in stabilizing their customer base and revenues in an increasingly complicated environment as well as in educating them on the particular industry changes that could affect their operations most significantly. His project feasibility, financing and system acquisition projects have provided clients with a sound technical and financial basis upon which to make decisions on purchasing, selling or modifying facilities. He understands the special issues confronting small and medium size municipal utilities, as well as the joint action agencies serving these utilities. He has also assisted industrial customers in analyzing particular industry issues that impact their operations.

Mr. Berg has also been involved in financial and technical evaluation of power generation projects that utilize alternative fuels. These have included landfill gas, biomass and wind generation projects.

Mr. Berg is a popular speaker both at utility training sessions and state and national conferences, due to his ability to focus on the essential points of complicated issues and to recommend actions appropriate to the audience.

Ryan Matley

Senior Manager

NewGen Strategies & Solutions LLC

Ryan Matley brings over 20 years of experience in the electric and natural gas utility industries. He specializes in regulatory finance, cost-of-service analysis, rate case support, and stakeholder engagement. Ryan has served as an expert witness in several proceedings and has led initiatives in regulatory affairs, finance, and product development, ensuring a balance between utility objectives and customer needs.

Before joining NewGen, Ryan held leadership positions at Xcel Energy, where he managed teams performing regulatory cost recovery filings and developing innovative renewable energy programs. His previous experience also includes consulting with the Rocky Mountain Institute and advancing demand-side management programs at Pacific Gas & Electric.

Location

EUCI Conference Center 6400 S Fiddlers Green Cir. Greenwood Village CO, 80111

Nearby Hotels/Airports

Continuing Education Credits

IACET

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EUCI is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard. IACET is recognized internationally as a standard development organization and accrediting body that promotes quality of continuing education and training.

EUCI is authorized by IACET to offer 1.2 CEUs for this event

Verify our IACET accreditation

Who recognizes IACET Credits?

 

Requirements for Successful Completion of Program

Participants must be present each day and be in attendance for the entirety of the course to be eligible for continuing education credit. 

Instructional Methods

PowerPoint presentations, classroom discussions, and question-and-answer sessions will be used in this conference.

CPE

Upon successful completion of this event, program participants interested in receiving CPE credits will receive a certificate of completion.

Course CPE Credits: 14.0
There is no prerequisite for this Course.
Program field of study: Specialized Knowledge
Program Level: Basic
Delivery Method: Group Internet Based
Advanced Preparation: None

CpeEUCI 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: www.nasbaregistry.org

CLE

Only registered attendees can request CLE credits for an EUCI course/event.  Please email [email protected] prior to the course start date and list the state where you are licensed and your bar# as well as the name and date of your course/event in your request, and someone will be in contact.

Who Should Attend

This course is recommended for policymakers, managers, attorneys, regulators, key account representatives, accountants, engineers, and analysts who would like introductory, hands-on training related to rate design concepts for electric utilities.