PLANNER INDUSTRY EXAMPLES
WATER
WASTE & RECLAIMED WATER
WASTE & RECLAIMED WATER
The AQUA RATES PLANNER robustly calculates the revenue stream originating from the most valuable commodity on the planet – WATER! This tool can handle connection-related and volume-related charges across residential, commercial, and industrial categories. It brilliantly handles volume charges, including inverse block rates, conservation rates, and drought rates. The platform also excels with the calculation of system development charges. Inflow projections combine the O&M, CIP, and debt service, providing comprehensive revenue sufficiency cash flows and cost-of-service analysis with fully documented calculated rates.
WASTE & RECLAIMED WATER
WASTE & RECLAIMED WATER
WASTE & RECLAIMED WATER
The AQUA RATES PLANNER calculates waste-water-related product revenue precisely with the ability to create any fixed or volume fee charge for commercial, industrial, or residential customers. Additional categories for industrial rates are straightforward to set up. All cost accounts are available for allocation to products, cost pools, and customer service classes. Reclaimed water can also be priced and analyzed along with required, CIP master plan, capital financing plan, and calculation of a fully documented and defensible rate structure. Also included is the ability to set aside and apply reserves, test out rate increase years, and dashboard the results.
STORM WATER
WASTE & RECLAIMED WATER
STORM WATER
The AQUA RATES PLANNER will manage storm-water-related products derived from impervious surface on residential, commercial, or industrial properties and precisely calculate the rate per ERU. The CIP, O&M budget, and debt service cash flows are allocated to customer service classes for complete recapture by customer service class rates. Utilizing the direction of cost allocations and applying the Rates Visualizer, a rate increase can be tested by simply clicking on the target year(s). The Reserves Visualizer automatically calculates a rate stabilization fund or a capital reserve fund – a funding source for CIP projects. These funding sources can be applied on demand.
NATURAL GAS
NATURAL GAS
STORM WATER
The ENERGY RATES PLANNER accommodates natural gas utilities robustly, managing revenues from gas meter connections as well as gas service volume charges. The O&M budget, CIP master plan, and customer service class projections are tailored for natural gas utility operations. For financial planning purposes, the separation of the operating and capital cash flow projections provides a clear picture of the revenue sufficiency for each product line and service class combination. Each product line of the utility can be sliced, both in terms of revenue sufficiency, as well as for the cost-of-service analysis. Rates are instantly calculated and available using the Rates Visualizer.
ELECTRIC
NATURAL GAS
RENEWABLES
The ENERGY RATES PLANNER handles both retail electric and wholesale electric customers with the ability to calculate customer monthly minimum charges as well as block-based KWH consumption tiers. The ENERGY RATES PLANNER can also model industrial demand charges, calculate seasonal rates, and automatically apply the cash flows to revenue sufficiency analysis. The O&M budget, CIP master plan, and customer service class projections are tailored to electric utility operations. The cost-of-service analysis calculates rates for every customer class, from product to cost pool and customer service class, providing powerful what-if rate increase testing using the Rates Timing Visualizer.
RENEWABLES
NATURAL GAS
RENEWABLES
The ENERGY RATES PLANNER models any unit-based or volume rate structure associated with renewable energy. The O&M budget, CIP master plan, and customer service class projections are tailored to each type of renewable product. The Visual Cashflow Pro Forma combines financial inflows and outflows for enterprise-level fund projections, including reserves. The designated versions of the CIP master plan, O&M budget, and service class projections support the cash flow projections and cost of service analysis. Rates can be calculated on demand, picking target years for rate increases with the Rates Visualizer. Thus, wind, solar, and other renewables are cleanly modeled.
ABOUT US
COMPANY
CAPITAL OBJECTS INC. is a pioneer Fintech company, offering rate calculations, cash flow analytics, and capital financing analysis software applications for water and energy utilities as well as state and local governments. Responding to a critical need for capital infrastructure for water and energy utilities and widespread rate shock occurring across customer classes in utility operations of all sizes, the CAPITAL OBJECTS team created financial analysis technology, packaged for water-related and energy-related utilities. This technology empowers utility finance directors with powerful multi-scenario cash flow analysis, financial ratio analysis, and fully documented rate calculations.
DON WINGER - FOUNDER
Don Winger is the Founder and CEO of CAPITAL OBJECTS. Don is a software development entrepreneur and founder of Fintech companies across capital markets. Don started his career performing rate studies and financial planning for the Municipal Utilities practice of PWC. He now returns to those roots to create the AQUA RATES PLANNER and the ENERGY RATES PLANNER. Don has an established track record for taking a software product from inception though design, engineering, and evangelization and from imagination to completed commercial product. Previously, Don served as the CEO and founder of AnalytX, Inc., a software development firm focused exclusively on private equity and venture capital. Don holds a BA in Philosophy from Randolph Macon College and an MBA in Finance from George Mason University.
BRIAN FRATUS - DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Brian Fratus is the Director of Business Development for Capital Objects. Brian has a 30-year career that includes the electric power, water, wastewater and infrastructure sector where he began in the Municipal Utilities practice of PWC involving rate studies and bond feasibility for capital projects. His career subsequently transitioned to development and capital investment roles with large electric utility holding companies, independent power firms, as well as an independent advisor in energy and infrastructure. Since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, he has been a solar and energy storage project development entrepreneur where he has been involved in the rapidly changing energy sector transition toward renewable and distributed energy resources which is driving regulatory reform and a transition toward new energy business models. Mr. Fratus has held corporate positions in project development, project and corporate finance, corporate development and acquisitions and asset management. He holds an M.A. in Economics concentrated in Finance from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University and a B.A. in International Studies and Economics from George Mason University.