The NWPPA Utility Accounting Certificate brings together six core topics, taught by some of NWPPA’s most experienced, credible instructors. There are nine classes – seven taught in a classroom setting and two in an online or webinar format. The seven classroom courses are grouped into three sections, reducing the number of trips that you must make away from the utility.

Each section is held once every two years, at minimum, allowing assertive students to complete the curriculum in that time frame by attending one section approximately every 6 months.

A student may request credit for towards the certificate for any class listed below if s/he has previously completed the class through NWPPA in the past three years.

View the list of currently-scheduled accounting classes

See the following information for an overview of the topics covered in each module. For more information, contact Arnie Winkler at
(360) 816-1445 or arnie@nwppa.org.

Who Should Attend:

This certificate program is designed to enhance and ultimately certify the skills of accounting and finance employees at NWPPA member utilities. By completing each of the modules within this program, attendees will be recognized as having an excellent foundational knowledge of the utility accounting function for both governmental and cooperative organizations.

Section #1:

The History of Public Power:

The History of Public Power provides a core foundation for non-profit utility employees about the history of electricity and the rise of public power to our industry as it stands today. You'll learn why public power continues to be critical to the success of our communities in the Western U.S. and Canada.

“The greatest thing on earth is to have the love of God in your heart, and the next greatest thing is to have electricity in your house”. - A Tennessee farmer promoting rural electrification, c. 1940

There was a time when electricity was only second in popularity to religion. Those who controlled and had access to it were the wealthy while most Americans lived in the dark. Through a strong grassroots effort, communities across the country fought to make sure electricity would be affordable and available to everyone through non-profit public power and cooperative utilities.

You'll participate in The History of Public Power through the NWPPA Online Classroom, completing weekly assignments while you exchange information with other students and the class instructor. No travel is required and you can access the system whenever it is convenient for you.

Utility Accounting 101 Webinar (Optional):

Intended for those who are new to utility accounting (less than one year of experience) or for those who do not work in the accounting department on a regular basis, this optional course will bring you up-to-speed on the basics of accounting. Once you have a gained a broad understanding of the topics and jargon explained in this class, you will be prepared to complete the Key Topics in Utility Accounting class. This class is presented online via webinar, so no travel is required. All you need is a telephone and web-enabled computer. You must enroll in the Key Topics in Utility Accounting course to take this webinar. Please contact Arnie Winkler, (360) 816-1445, with any questions you may have.

Key Topics in Utility Accounting: (The "Fundamentals of Utility Accounting" and "Advanced Topics in Utility Accounting" courses have been combined into "Key Topics in Utility Accounting").

This course covers the fundamentals of utility accounting for new electric utility accountants and those involved in related jobs that have need to understand how accounting affects other aspects of the business. Specific accounting topics covered by the course include: prescribed uniform system of accounts (e.g., FERC or RUS), cash versus accrual, work order systems, the general ledger and subsidiary ledgers, and the four accounting cycles (revenue, collections, disbursements, and payroll). You will also review work order systems, financial statement accounting, financial planning, cost of service calculations and rate design, activity-based accounting, capital credits, investment strategies, debt portfolio management, internal control procedures, and other similar topics.

Advanced Topics in Utility Accounting:

This course material has been folded into the Key Topics in Utility Accounting course.

Section #2:

Utility Budgeting and Financial Analysis:

Go beyond budgeting with this course, which covers the procedures necessary to prepare annual capital and expense budgets for electric utilities. Following an overview on the differences between cash flows, budgeting, strategic planning, financial reporting and rates, the relevance of budgeting will be clarified through a comprehensive case study review. During the financial analysis portion of the class, participants will learn about basic financial statements, analytical procedures and financial goals.

Financial Audits and Internal Controls

Here’s your opportunity to gain an understanding of the financial auditing process and learn how it may impact your responsibilities to the utility and consumers. You’ll also learn how internal controls can be established to avoid devastating results from errors and fraud. Topics covered include: basic financial statements, including the Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) and notes; what an audit is and what an audit is not; and an overview of types and functions of Internal Controls.

Nuts and Bolts of Work Orders

Covering everything you ever wanted to know about work orders, this class provides current information about specific documentation demands and forms necessary to meet accounting requirements. You will not only analyze the "why" of work order systems; you will review the "how-to" of the process.

Section #3:

Unbundled Cost of Service and Rate Design

This course starts with an introduction to utility ratemaking and the potential impact to utilities in our restructured industry. Participants will develop an understanding of the theory surrounding unbundled rates and the development of unit costs by function (generation, transmission, distribution, etc.), and customer class or rate schedule. Rate design in a competitive environment will be a key topic covered in the course.

Using the COSA Model for Rate Design (Webinar)

Approximately two weeks after completing the Unbundled Cost of Service class, take a couple of hours from your day to see a demonstration of the Cost of Service calculation spreadsheet. This complex tool will allow you to enter a variety of variables or scenarios specific to your utility and is quite capable of guiding your rate-making process. This class is presented online via webinar, so no travel is required. All you need is a telephone and web-enabled computer.

Challenging Financial Management

As suggested by the title, this course is intended for students who have completed the first two modules of the certificate program. This is a computer-intensive class that will teach you how key ratios are developed, techniques for evaluating various financial reports, the components of cash flow, how to review your system's cash flow, and the determination of optimum equity. You will return to your utility after this class with your system's Borrower Statistical Profile and Key Ratio Trend Analysis (approximately 100 ratios), a Cash Flow Statement for your system and an evaluation of your system's optimum equity.