Decoding Rate Case Testimony: What Energy Regulation Experts Need to Know

Rate cases are at the heart of energy regulation. They determine how utilities recover costs and set rates, impacting everything from infrastructure investments to consumer bills. 

And the cornerstone of every rate case? The testimony provided by legal teams, experts, and intervenors. 

Testimony isn’t just about stating a position—that position has to be backed with solid, credible data. The comprehensive data analysis and organization needed to inform and substantiate a position can make preparing for a rate case feel like an uphill battle. Professionals often sift through mountains of FERC filings, financial statements, and operational reports to find all the minuscule details they need.

At HData, we’re here to help legal teams, regulators, and other industry experts turn complex data into clear, actionable arguments faster than ever before.

The Role of Testimony in Rate Cases

When it’s considered by regulators, testimony in rate cases serves two key purposes:

Supporting Utility Proposals
Utilities present testimony to justify proposed rate increases, capital investments, or other regulatory requests. This often involves explaining cost-of-service studies, operational expenses, and projected infrastructure needs.

Challenging Proposals
Intervenors, such as consumer advocacy groups or competing market players, present testimony to counter utility claims. This typically requires analyzing the same data to highlight inefficiencies, inconsistencies, or unnecessary expenses.

For both sides, testimony must be backed by robust evidence drawn from a range of data sources, including FERC filings, regulatory precedents, and industry benchmarks.

A single overlooked data point can weaken a case, while well-presented evidence can make arguments virtually unassailable.

Challenges in Data-Driven Testimony Preparation

The challenge of rate case preparation lies in the sheer volume of data involved. Testimony for a typical rate case may include data from thousands of different filing pages, financial reports, and operational data. 

It can be hard for professionals to:

• Locate Relevant Data: Key figures like historical revenue trends or specific operating expenses may be buried in dense documents
• Cross-Reference Data: Testimony often requires pulling together data from multiple sources, such as comparing a utility’s proposed cost recovery to similar cases across the region
• Contend with Time Constraints: Rate cases operate on tight deadlines, leaving little room for lengthy manual data analysis

Given the realities of data analysis done manually, it’s easy to miss critical details that could strengthen an argument or undermine a counterargument.

How HData Simplifies the Process

This is where HData’s AI-powered platform comes in. Because it can analyze, decipher, summarize, and present huge volumes of data in seconds, HData transforms the way legal teams and experts interact with regulated energy data. Simply put, the platform enables faster, more accurate testimony preparation.

Imagine you need to analyze three years of operational expense data across multiple utilities to assess whether a proposed rate increase is reasonable. With traditional methods, this task could take weeks. With HData, you can ask natural language questions like: 

What were Utility Y’s operational expenses for 2021? And: How do they compare to Utilities X and Z? 

HData delivers precise, citable answers in seconds, along with links to the exact sections of the original documents the data was pulled from.

HData can support testimony preparation by helping you:

• Find Critical Data Points: Locate specific figures—such as cost recovery allocations or reported capital expenditures—instantly, instead of spending hours combing through filings
• Cross-Reference for Comparisons: Quickly compare similar data across utilities or jurisdictions to identify trends, outliers, or inconsistencies
• Ensure Accuracy: All insights generated by HData are tied back to their original source documents, ensuring credibility and traceability
  
  

Tips for Stronger Rate Case Testimony

While having the right tools is essential, there are also best practices to keep in mind when preparing testimony:

1. Start with the Data: Use objective data as the foundation for your arguments. For example, if a utility is requesting a rate increase based on rising operational costs, verify whether those costs align with industry averages.
   
2. Anticipate Counterarguments: Consider how opposing experts might challenge your position and use data to preemptively address their points.
   
3. Highlight Trends: Look for patterns in the data, such as consistent underperformance or repeated cost overrun—illustrating these trends can make your case more compelling.
   HData streamlines these steps, empowering legal teams, consultants, regulators, and other experts to focus on crafting and responding to arguments rather than wrestling with data.

Want to see how HData can make your testimony preparation faster and more effective? Learn more about HData at https://hdata.com.