[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 3 (Thursday, January 5, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1772-1774]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-236]



=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy


Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products; Representative 
Average Unit Costs of Energy

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In this notice, the Department of Energy (DOE or Department) 
is forecasting the representative average unit cost of five residential 
energy sources for the year 1995. The five sources are electricity, 
natural gas, No. 2 heating oil, propane, and kerosene. The 
representative unit cost of these energy sources are used in the Energy 
Conservation Program for Consumer Products established by the Energy 
Policy and Conservation Act, Pub.L. No. 94-163, 89 Stat. 871, as 
amended, (EPCA).

EFFECTIVE DATE: The representative average unit costs of energy 
contained in this notice will become effective [Insert date 30 days 
after publication] and will remain in effect until further notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dr. Barry P. Berlin, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Forrestal Building, Mail Station EE-
43, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-9127
Eugene Margolis, Esq., U.S. Department of Energy, Office of General 
Counsel, Forrestal Building, Mail Station GC-41, 1000 Independence 
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-9507

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 323 of the EPCA (Act)\1\ requires 
that DOE prescribe test procedures for the determination of the 
estimated annual operating costs and other measures of energy 
consumption for certain consumer products specified in the Act. These 
test procedures are found in 10 CFR Part 430, Subpart B. [[Page 1773]] 

    \1\References to the ``Act'' refer to the Energy Policy and 
Conservation Act, as amended by the National Energy Conservation 
Policy Act, the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 1987, 
the National Appliance Energy Conservation Amendments of 1988, and 
the Energy Policy Act of 1992. 42 U.S.C. Secs. 6291-6309.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 323(b) of the Act requires that the estimated annual 
operating costs of a covered product be computed from measurements of 
energy use in a representative average-use cycle and from 
representative average unit costs of energy needed to operate such 
product during such cycle. The section further requires DOE to provide 
information regarding the representative average unit costs of energy 
for use wherever such costs are needed to perform calculations in 
accordance with the test procedures. Most notably, these costs are used 
under the Federal Trade Commission appliance labeling program 
established by Section 324 of the Act and in connection with 
advertisements of appliance energy use and energy costs which are 
covered by Section 323(c) of the Act.
    The Department last published representative average unit costs of 
residential energy for use in the Conservation Program for Consumer 
Products on December 29, 1993. (58 FR 68901). Effective February 6, 
1995, the cost figures published on December 29, 1993, will be 
superseded by the cost figures set forth in this notice.
    The Department's Energy Information Administration (EIA) has 
developed the 1995 representative average unit after-tax costs of 
electricity, natural gas, No. 2 heating oil, propane and kerosene 
prices found in this notice. The cost projections for electricity and 
natural gas are found in the fourth quarter, 1994, EIA Short-Term 
Energy Outlook, DOE/EIA-0226 (94/4Q) and reflect the mid-price 
scenario. Projections for residential (No.2) heating oil, propane and 
kerosene are based on the Short-Term Energy Outlook net-of-tax 
projection for heating oil costs and the relative prices of those three 
fuels in 1992 (the most recent year available) in the State Price and 
Expenditure Report, DOE/EIA-0376 (92). Both the Short-Term Energy 
Outlook and the State Price and Expenditure Report are available at the 
National Energy Information Center, Forrestal Building, Room 1F-048, 
1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-8800.
    The 1995 representative average unit costs stated in Table 1 are 
provided pursuant to Section 323(b)(4) of the Act and will become 
effective February 6, 1995. They will remain in effect until further 
notice.

    Issued in Washington, DC, December 29, 1994.
Christine A. Ervin,
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

        Table 1.--Representative Average Unit Costs of Energy for Five Residential Energy Sources (1995)        
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                           As required by test      Per million 
               Type of energy                      In common terms              procedure             Btu\1\    
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Electricity.................................  8.67 cents/kWh2,3.......  $.0867/kWh..............          $25.41
Natural gas.................................  63.0 cents/therm\4\ or    .00000630/Btu...........            6.30
                                               $6.49/MCF5,6.                                                    
No. 2 Heating Oil...........................  1.008/gallon7...........  .00000727/Btu...........            7.27
Propane.....................................  0.985/gallon8...........  .00001079/Btu...........           10.79
Kerosene....................................  1.094/gallon9...........  .00000810/Btu...........           8.10 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\Btu stands for British thermal units.                                                                        
[[Page 1774]]                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                
\2\kWh stands for kilowatt hour.                                                                                
\3\1 kWh = 3,412 Btu.                                                                                           
\4\1 therm = 100,000 Btu. Natural gas prices include taxes.                                                     
\5\MCF stands for 1,000 cubic feet.                                                                             
\6\For the purposes of this table, one cubic foot of natural gas has an energy equivalence of 1,030 Btu.        
\7\For the purposes of this table, one gallon of No. 2 heating oil has an energy equivalence of 138,690 Btu.    
\8\For the purposes of this table, one gallon of liquid propane has an energy equivalence of 91,333 Btu.        
\9\For the purposes of this table, one gallon of kerosene has an energy equivalence of 135,000 Btu.             

[FR Doc. 95-236 Filed 1-4-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P