Management Strategies
5 ways to improve your utility’s bond rating
Managing a debt rating is a key obligation of the utility Chief Financial Officer. Debt is part of the utility business. Utilities build long-term infrastructure, with a useful life of 30-40 years to serve customers and finance that infrastructure with long term debt. Customers pay for debt service on that debt thought their rates, charged for current use of the system.
Utility & Co-op Employee Evaluations-Giving Effective Feedback, Helping with Career Goals
No matter your background, if you are in charge of employees, your job description includes giving employee evaluations, providing feedback, and helping employees develop their career goals. How do you balance the needs of the business with employee needs? What about remote work? Let’s explore some areas.
Trying to Increase Electric Rates but Your Board Says “No”? Here Are Options
If your electric utility board will not increase rates timely, then what areas of the budget can be adjusted without impacting reliability? A rate increase voted down opens the door for "Plan B", the fallback plan. But, what is the fallback plan? This article discusses some Plan B approaches to save your utility’s budget and maintain reliable service.
Electric Cooperative Financial Strategies - Cash Reserves and Patronage Capital Policies
Electric cooperative financial strategies include operating cash flows, cash reserves, debt, and customer equity investments in the co-op, which are called patronage capital. What is patronage capital, and how can your cooperative establish a financial strategy that has a long-term balance of cash reserves, debt, and member equity. We discuss proven policies.
The “E” in ESG is Working Great! How to Mitigate the Budget Impact?
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and sustainable business practices are a key component of utility strategy. Success in moving the “E” factor towards reducing emissions can sometime put a dent in the utility or co-op electric budget. This article discusses the use of decoupling to mitigate budget damage and maximize budget recovery.
The Board's Role in Managing the Utility Bond Rating
Are lines blurred in your utility over financial responsibilities? The responsibility for the bond rating is part of the role of the utility's Board of Directors through the approval of budgets, electric rates, and short and long-term strategy. The better the bond rating, the lower the interest rate and more funds are retained by the utility vs. paid to bond holders. What are strategies to follow? Here are some insights.