Public Utility Accounting

Return to the Accounting Fundamentals Series

Virtual Training

Join us as we hold this popular course as a series of three (3) interactive virtual sessions—using the Zoom meeting platform. It’s a convenient way to attend the course, while still having the opportunity to interact with the instructors, your industry peers, and earn 9.5 CPE credits.

This course includes real-time presentations, videos, class exercises, discussions, and online quizzes to reinforce the course materials. Before the class, you will be able to download materials that can fill in on your computer during the course exercises.

Timing

Attend three real-time sessions from Noon - 3 p.m. ET on November 6, 7, and 19. There will be one 15-minute break in each session.

Unable to make the live sessions? Recordings will be made available (automatically to those who register) a week after the last session takes place.

Course Overview

Electric utility accounting isn’t taught in schools, yet the industry has numerous unique factors that affect how to handle its finances. Especially if you are new to the industry, you might be looking for information to help you in your day-to-day work, and in particular, will want to know about the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Uniform System of Accounts, or USoA.

Join this course to learn the basics of how the electric utility business works, get a grasp on the ins-and-outs of FERC accounting, and review practical examples of how you can use the FERC USoA. Get up-to-speed on how to use the language of the FERC USoA for accounting, how the system is organized, and how it can serve as a reference guide for your work.

This course uses a combination of instructor presentations, videos, practical exercises, discussions, and quizzes to reinforce the lessons and appeal to a variety of learning styles. Before the class, you will be able to download materials that you can fill in on your computer throughout the course.

Attendees will receive a complimentary digital copy of APPA’s Public Utility Accounting Guidebook publication.

Course Topics

Electricity basics and costs
How the electric utility business is organized
Introduction to the FERC Uniform System of Accounts
Similarities and differences between governmental accounting standards board (GASB) and the FERC Uniform System of Accounts (USoA)
Detailed walk-through and examples of the FERC Uniform System of Accounts – Assets, Liabilities, Revenues, and Expenses
Capital vs. maintenance (and why it matters)
Fixed asset accounting
Recording labor costs
A year in the life of a utility accountant (classifying invoices and building financial statements)
Building financial statements
Conducting financial analysis
Determining when your utility needs to increase rates

Recommended For

Those who are new to the electric utility industry and looking to learn more about how the utility business works, including public utility accounting practices and the FERC accounting structure.

This class is also useful for utility staff — including auditors, management, technical personnel, and policymakers — who want to learn more about the business and understand how accounting processes affect employees and various utility operational areas.

Course Level

Basic: No prerequisites; no advance preparation

Often taken in conjunction with APPA’s Electric Work Order & Fixed Asset Accounting (January 8 and 9, 2025) and Advanced Public Utility Accounting (January 29 and 30 and February 5 and 6, 2025) virtual courses. A discounted bundled rate is available.

Accreditation

The following continuing education credits will be provided after successfully completing 90% all three live sessions. These sessions will be recorded, though certificates can only be awarded to those who meet the attendance requirements for attending the live sessions.

Recommended CEUs .8/PDHs 8/CPEs 9.5 (for all three sessions)
Field of Study: Accounting

Instructors

Russ Hissom, CPA, is a consultant for Baker Tilly and principal of Utility Accounting & Rates Specialists. Russ has over 35 years of power and utilities, accounting and finance experience. He provides utility accounting, cost of service, rates, financial analysis consulting, and expert witness testimony for rate cases and accounting matters. His goal is to help your organization deliver effective and reliable utility services to your customers by maximizing the efficiencies in your accounting, rates, and business processes. He has authored dozens of articles on power and utilities accounting and rates issues and co-authored industry financial and governance-related textbooks. Russ is an instructor for several APPA Academy courses and a frequent speaker at national industry conferences.

Bethany Ryers, CPA, MAS, has been a Principal in Baker Tilly's energy practice for 18 years, with a focus on assurance and advisory services for power and utility organizations. Bethany has helped some of the country’s largest public power systems implement the latest governmental accounting standards. She is involved with a number of state electric, water and wastewater organizations and is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and several state accounting associations. Bethany is co-author of the APPA Advanced Public Utility Accounting publication and is a frequent speaker at industry events.

Ryan Theiler, CPA, is a Manager in Baker Tilly's energy practice with a focus on assurance and advisory services for power and utility organizations. Ryan specializes in providing financial statement audit services to power organization as well as water and wastewater organizations. Ryan is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

Questions?

Registration/Billing: Registration@PublicPower.org
Schedule/Content/Accreditation: EducationInfo@PublicPower.org

Registration

Register Now!

Registration Fees

Registration is for individual access. If you have multiple people interested in attending, group discounts are available.

Members*
Bundled Series - Includes All Three Courses (save $300!)	$2,195
Individual Courses
Public Utility Accounting	$895
Electric Work Order & Fixed Asset Accounting	$595
Advanced Public Utility Accounting	$995
*Non-member rates are double the member rates.

Group Discounts

Save money when your organization registers five or more people for the same class or the bundled series. The larger your group, the more you save! Registrations must be submitted on the same order (at the same time) to qualify for the group discount; discounts cannot be retroactively applied to previous orders.

If you need assistance, contact Registration@PublicPower.org.

Number of Registrants	Discount (Per Person)	Discount Per Person – Bundled Series
1-4	n/a	n/a
5-9	$50	$150
10-14	$100	$300
15-24	$150	$450
25+	$200	$600

Cancellations/No-Show/Refunds/Substitutions

All events will be recorded, and attendees will automatically receive a copy of the recordings, in case you can’t attend live.

Registrants who cancel in writing at least 7 days before the first day of a course are entitled to a refund of their registration fee, minus a $100 cancellation fee. Registrants who cancel after that will not receive a refund, but attendee substitutions will be allowed for this event only. Registrants and no-shows who do not cancel at least 7 days before the course start date are responsible for the full registration fee and are not entitled to a refund.

Cancellation deadlines:

Accounting Fundamentals Series (all 3 classes): Cancellations must be received on/before October 30
- Public Utility Accounting: Cancellations must be received on/before October 30
- Electric Work Order & Fixed Asset Accounting: Cancellations must be received on/before January 1
- Advanced Public Utility Accounting: Cancellations must be received on/before January 22

Cancellation requests should be made through your My.PublicPower portal, or addressed to: Registration@PublicPower.org

Accreditation

Earn While You Learn!

Participate in virtual programs to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs), Professional Development Hours (PDHs) and Continuing Professional Education credits (CPEs).

What educational credits are available?

You can earn the following kinds of continuing education credits for attending live sessions—provided the following requirements are met:

Requirements for Successful Completion: Virtual

Registration is for individual access, so each person participating must register. If you have multiple people interested in attending, group discounts are available.
Individuals are required to attend and actively participate in 90% of each live session and complete an online evaluation after the last session in a course.
- Attendance: Individuals must attend at least 90% of each live session (based on electronic timestamps in Zoom).
- Participation: Active participation in class will include engagement activities such as: polling/check-in questions, Kahoot quizzes, group discussions, breakout sessions, and in-class exercises.
- Activities vary by class: Information on participation will be provided the day before (and during) class. Participation is tracked electronically.
- Online evaluation: Each person must complete an online evaluation after the course concludes.
Partial credit cannot be given for partial attendance.
Attendance is monitored by an APPA staff member during the event, through an online report log, and upon review of the post-event evaluation data
Completion certificates will be available within two weeks of the last session in a live event (for those who meet the requirements) through your APPA member portal (access instructions will be provided).
Virtual sessions are recorded (attendees automatically receive access to recordings within a week of the last session), though continuing education credits can only be given for attending live events. Recordings will be accessible for 90 days after the last session.

Guidelines for group participation in virtual events

If a group is participating in a conference room together, we recommend each person still logs in individually from a laptop to ensure attendance and participation requirements are met (as noted above).
If individual log in is not possible, the organization must designate one person as the main point of contact. Email EducationInfo@PublicPower.org in advance of the virtual event noting this information
- This person will record attendance in the room in the room (we can provide a sample attendance tracker) and ensure attendance and participation from the group throughout.
- Submit the attendance record to APPA within 2 business days of the conclusion of a virtual event.
- Ensure each person fills out the required online evaluation

Continuing Education Units (CEUs): The American Public Power Association is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and is authorized to issue the IACET CEU. For information regarding certification status, attendance requirements and obtaining attendee transcripts, contact EducationInfo@PublicPower.org. Verify our IACET Accreditation.

CPE logo Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Credits: The American Public Power Association 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.com. Unless noted, there are no prerequisites for the courses offered and no advance preparation is required. Courses are group-internet based offerings at the basic program level (unless otherwise noted). Credit hours and areas of study for the courses are listed on the individual course pages. For more information regarding administrative policies, such as clarification of requirements, complaints, and refunds, please contact EducationInfo@PublicPower.org.

Professional Development Hours (PDHs): The American Public Power Association’s educational practices are consistent with the criteria for awarding Professional Development Hours (PDHs) as established by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). Course eligibility and number of PDHs may vary by state.

Questions?

Registration/Billing: Registration@PublicPower.org
Schedule/Content/Accreditation: EducationInfo@PublicPower.org

Additional Information

Format and Log-In Information

These classes will be offered on the Zoom meeting platform.

Communication

24 hours after registering: You’ll receive a confirmation email within 24 hours of registering, which contains some preliminary information.
24 hours before:
- You’ll receive your Zoom log in link the day before the first session in a course (sent from the APPA Academy’s Zoom account <no-reply@zoom.us>)
- You’ll also receive a final logistics email 24 hours in advance of the first class.
If you don’t receive this, email EducationInfo@PublicPower.org.

Course Materials and Recordings

Zoom Links: Zoom log in credentials will be sent out 24 hours before the start of the first session in a class.
Course materials: Attendees will receive access to course materials the day before each session through the "Documents" section of their My.PublicPower.org user portal.
Recordings: All sessions will be recorded and can be accessed through your user portal as well (within a week of the last class in the program), in case you can’t attend the live versions. Recordings will be accessible for 90 days after the last session. Note: Continuing education credits can only be issued for attending live sessions.

Technology Requirements

Zoom Meeting Application: Attendees are required to have strong Internet access, in order to run the Zoom meeting platform. Please see below for more information on downloading the Zoom Web Client.
Audio/Webcam: You will need to enable computer audio to listen and speak (alternatively a call-in number will be provided) and you will also need a webcam, so you can fully engage in the small group breakout sessions and group discussions.

New to Zoom?

If you haven't participated in a Zoom meeting before, please download the Zoom web client from the Zoom Download Center. This will enable you to access all of the Zoom tools and functionality vs. using the web version. Then, visit Zoom.us/test to ensure you are able to join a meeting.

If you are not able to download the Zoom web client, you can still participate via your Internet browser. We recommend using Chrome for the best results.

Privacy and Security

The American Public Power Association takes your privacy and security very seriously. For this reason, we have put the following security measures in place for this course: