[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 25 (Monday, February 7, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5860-5861]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-2707]


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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 2000. 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.

EFFECTIVE DATE:  The representative average unit costs of energy 
contained in this notice will become effective March 8, 2000 and will 
remain in effect until further notice.

[[Page 5861]]


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-41, 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. 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 January 5, 1999. (64 FR 
487). Effective March 8, 2000, the cost figures published on January 5, 
1999 will be superseded by the cost figures set forth in this notice.
    The Department's Energy Information Administration (EIA) has 
developed the 2000 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, 1999, EIA 
Short-Term Energy Outlook, DOE/EIA-0226 (99/4Q), 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 
1998 averages for these three fuels. The source for these price data is 
the September 1999, Monthly Energy Review (DOE/EIA-0035(99/09). 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.
    We provide the 2000 representative average unit costs in Table 1 
pursuant to section 323(b)(4) of the Act, and they will become 
effective March 8, 2000. They will remain in effect until further 
notice.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on February 2, 2000.
Dan W. Reicher,
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

            Table 1.--Representative Average Unit Costs of Energy for Five Residential Energy Sources
                                                     [2000]
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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.....................          $23.53  8.03 cents/kWh<SUP>2</SUP> <SUP>3</SUP>.......  $.0803/kWh
Natural gas.....................            6.88  68.8 cents/therm \4\ or   .00000688/Btu
                                                   $7.07/MCF<SUP>5</SUP> <SUP>6</SUP>.
No. 2 Heating Oil...............            7.86  $1.09/gallon \7\........  .00000786/Btu
Propane.........................           10.07  92 cents/gallon \8\.....  .00001007/Btu
Kerosene........................            8.44  $1.14/gallon \9\........  .00000844/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. 00-2707 Filed 2-4-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P