[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