[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 235 (Monday, December 8, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64574-64575]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-32046]
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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 1998. 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 January 7, 1998 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 20585-0121, (202) 586-
9127
Eugene Margolis, Esq., U.S. Department of Energy, Office of General
Counsel, Forrestal Building, Mail Station GC-72, 1000 Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585-0103, (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 or 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.
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\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 November 18, 1996. (61 FR 58679). Effective January 7,
1998, the cost figures published on November 18, 1996, will be
superseded by the cost figures set forth in this notice.
The Department's Energy Information Administration (EIA) has
developed the 1998 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, 1997, EIA
Short-Term Energy Outlook, DOE/EIA-0226 (97/4Q) and reflect the mid-
price scenario. Projections for residential propane and kerosene prices
are derived from their relative prices to that of heating oil, based on
1996 averages for these three fuels. The sources for these price data
are the preliminary Petroleum Marketing Annual 1996 and the September
1997 Monthly Energy Review (DOE/EIA-0035(97/09). The Short-Term Energy
Outlook and the Monthly Energy Review are available at the National
Energy Information Center, Forrestal Building, Room 1F-048, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-8800. The
preliminary Petroleum Marketing Annual 1996 is available at the
following Internet address: http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil__gas/pmm/
12pmmframe.html. Persons who are without access to the Internet, and
who want copies of the applicable tables of the preliminary Petroleum
Marketing Annual 1996, can obtain them from the Department's Office of
Codes and Standards (phone: (202) 586-9127).
[[Page 64575]]
The 1998 representative average unit costs stated in Table 1 are
provided pursuant to Section 323(b)(4) of the Act and will become
effective January 7, 1998. They will remain in effect until further
notice.
Issued in Washington, DC, on November 28, 1997.
Joseph Romm,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy.
Table 1.--Representative Average Unit Costs of Energy for Five Residential Energy Sources (1998)
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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................................ $24.68 8.42 cents/kWh 2, 3....... $ .0842/kWh.
Natural gas................................ 6.19 61.9 cents/therm 4 or .00000619/Btu.
$6.36/MCF 5, 16.
No. 2 Heating Oil.......................... 6.85 95 cents/gallon 7......... .00000685/Btu.
Propane.................................... 10.39 95 cents/gallon 8......... .00001039/Btu.
Kerosene................................... 7.48 $1.01/gallon 9............ .00000748/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. 97-32046 Filed 12-5-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P