[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 13 (Friday, January 19, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1366-1367]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-574]



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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.

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SUMMARY: In this notice, the Department of Energy (DOE or Department) 
is forecasting the representative average unit costs of five 
residential energy sources for the year 1996. The five sources are 
electricity, natural gas, No. 2 heating oil, propane, and kerosene. The 
representative unit costs 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 February 20, 1996 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.

    \1\ References to the ``Act'' refer to the Energy Policy and 
Conservation Act, as amended. 42 U.S.C. Secs. 6291-6309.
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    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 January 5, 1995. (60 FR 1773). Effective [Insert date 30 
days after publication], the cost figures published on January 5, 1995, 
will be superseded by the cost figures set forth in this notice.
    The Department's Energy Information Administration (EIA) has 
developed the 1996 representative average unit after-tax costs of 
electricity, natural gas, No. 2 heating oil, and propane and kerosene 
prices found in this notice. The cost projections for heating oil, 
electricity and natural gas are found in the fourth quarter, 1995, EIA 
Short-Term Energy Outlook, DOE/EIA-0226 (95/4Q) and reflect the mid-
price scenario. Projections for 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 two fuels in 1992 (the most recent 
year available) in the State Energy Price and Expenditure Report, DOE/
EIA-0376 (92). Both the Short-Term Energy Outlook and the State Energy 
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 1996 representative average unit costs stated in Table 1 are 
provided pursuant to Section 323(b)(4) of the Act and will become 
effective [Insert date 30 days from the date of publication]. They will 
remain in effect until further notice.

    Issued in Washington, DC, January 11, 1996.
Brian T. Castelli,
Chief of Staff, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

[[Page 1367]]


        Table 1.--Representative Average Unit Costs of Energy for Five Residential Energy Sources (1996)        
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                                    Per million                                           As required by test   
          Type of energy               Btu 1            In commonly used terms                 procedure        
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Electricity.......................       $25.21  8.6 cents/kWh \2\,\3\...............  $.086/kWh                
Natural gas.......................         6.26  62.6 cents/therm \4\ or.............  .00000626/Btu            
                                                 $6.43/MCF \5\,\6\...................                           
Heating oil.......................         6.63  $.92/gallon \7\.....................  .00000663/Btu            
Propane...........................         9.84  $.90/gallon \8\.....................  .00000984/Btu            
Kerosene..........................         7.39  $1.00/gallon \9\....................  .00000739/Btu            
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\1\ Btu stands for British thermal units.                                                                       
\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 1,027 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. 96-574 Filed 1-18-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P