[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 2 (Tuesday, January 5, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 487-488]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-89]


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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 1999. 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 Part B 
of Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, 42 U.S.C. 6291-
6309 (EPCA).

EFFECTIVE DATE: The representative average unit costs of energy 
contained in this notice will become effective February 4, 1999 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's 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 Energy Conservation Program for 
Consumer Products Other Than Automobiles on December 8, 1997 (62 FR 
64574). Effective February 4, 1999, the cost figures published on 
December 8, 1997, will be superseded by the cost figures set forth in 
this notice.
    The Department's Energy Information Administration (EIA) has 
developed the 1999 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 heating oil, 
electricity, and natural gas are found in the fourth quarter, 1998, EIA 
Short-Term Energy

[[Page 488]]

Outlook, DOE/EIA-0226 (98/4Q) 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 1997 
averages for these three fuels. The source for these price data is the 
September 1998 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 1999 representative average unit costs stated in Table 1 are 
provided pursuant to Section 323(b)(4) of the Act and will become 
effective February 4, 1999. They will remain in effect until further 
notice.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on December 1, 1998.
Dan W. Reicher,
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

            Table 1.--Representative Average Unit Costs of Energy for Five Residential Energy Sources
                                                     [1999]
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                                     Per million
           Type of energy               Btu 1         In commonly used terms       As required by test procedure
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Electricity........................       $24.09  8.22 cents/kWh 2 3              $.0822/kWh
Natural gas........................         6.88  68.8 cents/therm 4 or $7.07/    .00000688/Btu
                                                   MCF 5 6
No. 2 Heating Oil..................         6.42  89 cents/gallon 7               .00000642/Btu
Propane............................         8.43  77 cents/gallon 8               .00000843/Btu
Kerosene...........................         7.70  $1.04/gallon 9                  .00000770/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. 99-89 Filed 1-4-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P