In correspondence pertaining to this report, please refer to the 11- digit Census File Number (CFN).

Please correct errors in name, address and ZIP code. ENTER street and number if not shown. 

A

1998 Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey

Sponsored by the Energy Information Administration

U.S. Department of Energy

Administered and Compiled by the Bureau of the Census

U.S. Department of Commerce

Form 

EIA-846A

OMB Approval No.: 

1905-0169

Expires: 02/28/02

DUE DATE:

If you need additional time or have

questions about what to report on this questionnaire, please call our processing office on 

1-800-528-3049. 

Please return the completed questionnaire in the enclosed return envelope. If the envelope has been misplaced, please send to the

Census Bureau address shown on the last page of the questionnaire.

Form EIA-846A should be completed by establishments whose first 3 digits of their North American

Industry Classification System (NAICS) code are 113, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 323, 326, 327, 331

(except for 331111), 332, 333, 334, 335, 336, 337, 339, 511 or 512. Government-owned establishments that

are privately operated should all complete this questionnaire. 

Note: the 6-digit NAICS code for this establishment is located on the mailing label above.

Reporting Requirement: This survey is mandatory under the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974, Pub.

Law No. 93-275, and under Title 3, Subtitle B, of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986, Pub. Law

No. 99-509, as amended by Title 1, Subtitle G, of the Energy Policy Act of 1992, Pub. Law No. 102-486. 

Per the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, you are not required to respond to any Federally-sponsored collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB

Approval Number. The valid OMB Approval Number for this information collection (1905-0169) is displayed at the top left of this page.

See pages 1 through 4 for Frequently Asked Questions concerning the Manufacturing Energy Consumption

Survey and instructions for completing this questionnaire.
This page is intentionally blank.
Page 3 Form EIA-846A (1999)

Frequently Asked Questions Concerning the

1998 MANUFACTURING ENERGY CONSUMPTION SURVEY (MECS)

Why have a MECS?

The Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey (MECS)

collects data on energy consumption and usage patterns for the

manufacturing sector of the U.S. economy. The information

will be used to publish aggregate statistics on the following:

consumption of energy for fuel and nonfuel uses, energy

characteristics of establishments in the manufacturing sector,

energy consumption by end use, technologies currently in use

by U.S. manufacturers, energy prices, electricity generation

onsite, and participation in energy-management activities. This

information will be used by the U.S. Department of Energy

(DOE) to implement policy plans effectively.

What is a manufacturing establishment?

The reporting unit for the Manufacturing Energy Consumption

Survey (MECS) is the manufacturing establishment. A

manufacturing establishment is an economic unit at a single

physical location, for the mechanical or chemical transformation

of materials or substances into new products. 

An establishment is not necessarily identical to a business

concern or firm, either of which may consist of one or more

establishments. A company may consist of one or more

establishments that are engaged in separate or distinct activities. 

These establishments may be situated at one location and

separated physically as well as economically. 

Manufacturing operations are generally conducted in facilities

described as plants, factories, or mills, characteristically using

power-driven machines and materials-handling equipment. 

Manufacturing also includes such activities as the assembly of

components of manufactured products and the blending of

materials such as lubricating oil, plastics, resins, or liquors.

What should I report for?

If this establishment has previously completed the Annual

Survey of Manufacturers (ASM), Form MA-1000, conducted

by the U.S. Census Bureau, then the reporting boundaries for

the MECS should correspond to those used for the ASM. Each

reporting unit should be treated as a separate establishment

ONLY if that was the determination made for the ASM. Do not

consolidate ASM establishments for reporting on the MECS.

If this establishment has never completed an ASM, report for all

activities that occur at this physical location, in accordance with

the reporting boundaries as defined by the Census of

Manufactures (CM) and as reported in the 1997 CM.

What is NAICS?

For 1997 and subsequent reports, the North American Industry

Classification System (NAICS) will replace the Standard

Industrial Classification (SIC) system currently used by federal

statistical agencies. NAICS is unique in that its conceptual

framework is based on production processes. Therefore,

economic units that have similar production processes are

classified in the same industry. 

What is the reporting period?

The period covered by this report for most establishments is

calendar year 1998 (January 1 through December 31, 1998). 

The exception will be for those establishments whose

ownership or operation changed during 1998. Indicate the

reporting period covered in Section 1: Establishment

Information.

Do I have to fill out this questionnaire?

Yes. This survey is mandatory under the Federal Energy

Administration Act of 1974, Pub. Law No. 93-275, and under

Title 3, Subtitle B, of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act

of 1986, Pub. Law No. 99-509, as amended by Title 1, Subtitle

G, of the Energy Policy Act of 1992, Pub. Law No. 102-486. 

Response is required by law from establishments included in the

MECS sample and receiving the MECS questionnaire. Failure

to respond may result in criminal fines, civil penalties, and other

sanctions as provided by law. 

Are these data confidential?

Yes. Under Section 9 of Title 13, U.S. Code, your report to the

Census Bureau is confidential. It may be seen only by sworn

Census Bureau employees and may be used only for statistical

purposes. The law also provides that copies retained in your

files are immune from legal process.

What if I have questions?

If you have any questions about what to report on this

questionnaire, please call the Census Bureau at 

1-800-528-3049.

How long will this questionnaire take?

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is

estimated to average eight hours per response, including the

time of reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources,

gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and

reviewing the collection of information. Send comments

regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this

collection of information, including suggestions for reducing

this burden, to the Energy Information Administration, Statistics

and Methods Group, EI-70, Washington, DC 20585-0670; and

to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of

Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503.

What if I need more time to complete the questionnaire?

The questionnaire should be returned no later than the due date

specified on the front. If you need additional time, please call

our processing office at 1-800-528-3049.
Page 4 Form EIA-846A (1999)

Instructions for Completing Form EIA-846A

General Instructions

1. Use the units specified on the questionnaire for reporting all

quantities. See page 4 for a list of British thermal units (Btu)

conversion factors. If your establishment uses more precise

conversion values for your operations, use them, and indicate

in Section 19: Remarks, the conversion factor(s) used.

2. Do not consolidate establishments. The reporting

boundaries for your establishment should correspond to

those used in the Annual Survey of Manufactures and/or the

Census of Manufactures.

To resolve any consolidation problems, match the 11-digit

Census File Number (CFN), which is located on the MECS

questionnaire mailing label, with the CFN appearing on the

ASM mailing label. Responses to MECS questions should

include the same activities as those considered when

responding to the matching ASM. 

3. The energy sources (Sections 2 - 13) and end uses (Sections

14-15) sections of this questionnaire are designed so that all

questions associated with the particular energy source within

a section should be completed before going on to the next

energy source. Therefore, within these sections, the

questionnaire should be answered from the top of one

column to the bottom of the same column, before going on to

the next energy source (column).

4. Report dollar amounts rounded to the nearest dollar, e.g.,

report $1,257.59 as $1,258. 

5. If you do not maintain book records for particular items,

please use carefully prepared estimates.

6. Enter zeroes in the data columns if the value is zero or none.

7. Complete all applicable sections of the questionnaire.

8. The energy sources which are preprinted on the survey

questionnaire are considered the most frequently consumed,

but they do not represent a complete list of applicable energy

sources. If your establishment has energy sources that meet

the criteria for reporting, but are not preprinted on the

questionnaire, please specify those energy sources in

Section 13 and enter the data there. (See Reporting Criteria

in the next column under Sections 2 through 13).

9. The following definitions for units are used throughout the

questionnaire:

Btu = British thermal unit(s)

One barrel = 42 gallons

One short ton = 2,000 pounds

Section 1: Establishment Information

In this section, indicate any changes in the establishment

ownership during 1998 and indicate the period covered by this

filing, whether the calendar year or other period.

Sections 2 through 13: Energy Sources (Fuels)

Reporting Criteria

An energy source should be reported on this questionnaire if:

1. the energy source was consumed as a fuel,(that is, for heat,

power, or electricity generation) or

2. the energy source was consumed as a nonfuel (feedstock,

raw material input).

Data are collected for the following energy sources (fuels):

Section 2: Electricity

Section 3: Steam and Industrial Hot Water

Section 4: Natural Gas

Section 5: Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and

Motor Gasoline 

Section 6: Acetylene, Hydrogen, and Waste and

Byproduct Gases

Section 7: Diesel Fuel, Distillate Fuel Oil, and

Residual Fuel Oil

Section 8: Kerosene and Petroleum Coke

Section 9: Coal (Anthracite, Bituminous and

Subbituminous, and Lignite)

Section 10: Breeze and Coal Coke

Section 11: Wood (Directly from Trees, Wood Residues

and Byproducts, and Wood/Paper-related

Refuse)

Section 12: Agricultural Waste and Waste Oils and

Tars

Section 13: Other Energy Sources

NOTE - In making additional entries, the preprinted entry

“Waste and Byproduct Gases” (Section 6, column 3) includes

all waste gas streams (for example, refinery gas, fuel gas, vent

gas, plant gas, off gas, still gas, and other waste gases)

produced onsite, except hydrogen.
Page 3 Form EIA-846A (1999)

Instructions for Completing Form EIA-846A, cont.

Energy Sources, cont.

To reduce the reporting burden and eliminate unnecessary

correspondence, special instructions have been developed for

the reporting of byproduct (or product) energy sources. If your

only means of supply of an energy source during 1998 was as a

byproduct (or product) of an energy source used as a feedstock

(or raw material input) to any of your manufacturing processes,

that byproduct energy source should be reported only if it was

at least partially consumed onsite as a fuel. If the

byproduct (or product) energy source was not consumed as a

fuel, it should be excluded.

Energy-Source Reporting Examples

Example 1 - Your establishment depended entirely on

electricity for heat and power, no combustible energy

sources were consumed. In this instance, complete Section

2: Electricity. No data should be entered in Sections 3

through 13. Go to Section 14 and complete the remainder

of the questionnaire.

Example 2 - Your establishment used electricity for

lighting, natural gas for heating or as a feedstock, and

propane for onsite transportation by forklifts. Complete the

appropriate lines in Section 4 for natural gas and Section 5,

column 1 for propane, in addition to Section 2.

Sections 14 and 15: 

Estimated End-Use Percent Consumption

These sections of the survey are intended to provide

information on the purposes for which various energy sources

are used in the manufacturing sector.

Section 14 covers Electricity, Total Natural Gas and Total

Coal.

Section 15 covers Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Total

Diesel Fuel and Distillate Fuel Oil, and Residual Fuel Oil.

See specific instructions for completing these sections at the

beginning of each section. 

End-Use Reporting Examples

Example 3 - If coal is consumed in boilers to generate

steam, some of which is passed through an

extractor/condensing turbine generator, all coal

consumption would be reported in question 135, column 3

(Indirect Uses - Boilers).

Example 4 - If an establishment can distinguish energy

used for emissions controls, it should be reported in either

question 146 or 161 (Other direct nonprocess use),

depending on the energy source used.

Section 16: Energy-Management Activities

In this section, indicate whether your establishment

participated in the energy-management activities during 1998,

and for selected activities, indicate the amount of the energymanagement activity costs paid for by the establishment. 

Section 17: Technologies

Indicate any of the technologies present in this establishment.

Listed technologies include general technologies which may be

found in any manufacturing establishment, technologies related

to cogeneration, and specific technologies for particular

NAICS codes.

Section 18: Establishment Size

This section asks for the number of buildings and total square

footage associated with this establishment. See the specific

instructions in this section for the definition of what should be

counted as a building.

Section 19: Remarks

Please provide any explanations that may be helpful to us in

understanding your reported data. Indicate any Btu conversion

factors used, if different from those provided on page 4. If

additional space is needed, attach a separate sheet, including

the 11-digit Census File Number (CFN) located on the mailing

label on the front page of this questionnaire.

Section 20: Contact Information

Enter address and other contact information for the person

most knowledgeable about completing this questionnaire and

the person whom we should contact if we have any questions

concerning this filing. 
Page 4 Form EIA-846A (1999)

Btu Conversion Factors Table

Following are Btu conversion factors and other useful factors

that should be used only if you do not know the actual Btu

factor of the fuels consumed at your establishment site.

If your establishment uses more precise conversion values for

your operations, use them in place of the approximations

given below. However, please identify in Section 19:

Remarks (page 46), the conversion factor(s) used, if different

from those listed below. 

Energy Source Conversion Factor(s)

Acetylene 21,600 Btu/pound

1,500 Btu/cubic foot

Bagasse 4,081 Btu/pound

Biomass 5,300 Btu/pound

Breeze 19.8 million Btu/short ton

Butane 4.326 million Btu/barrel

0.10300 million Btu/gallon

Coal Coke 24.8 million Btu/short ton

Distillate Fuel Oil 5.825 million Btu/barrel

Ethane 3.082 million Btu/barrel

0.07338 million Btu/gallon

Hydrogen 61,084 Btu/pound

325.11 Btu/cubic foot

35,600 Btu/gallon

Industrial Hot

Water 

140 Btu/pound

7.84 pounds/gallon

Isobutane 3.974 million Btu/barrel

0.09462 million Btu/gallon

Liquefied

Petroleum Gas

(LPG)

3.616 million Btu/barrel

0.08610 million Btu/gallon

4.5 pounds/gallon

Natural Gas 1.027 million Btu/1,000 cubic feet

10.27 therms/1,000 cubic feet

Petroleum Coke 6.024 million Btu/barrel

30.12 million Btu/short ton

5 barrels/short ton

Propane 3.836 million Btu/barrel

0.09133 million Btu/gallon

continued in next column

Energy Source Conversion Factor(s)

Pulping Liquor or

Black Liquor 11 million Btu/short ton

Residual Fuel Oil 6.287 million Btu/barrel

Roundwood 21.5 million Btu/cord

17.2 million Btu/short ton

0.014 million Btu/board foot

Sawdust

(7% Moisture) 8,000 Btu/pound

Steam 1,200 Btu/pound

Still Gas or Waste

Gas or Refinery

Gas

6 million Btu/barrel

1,029 Btu/cubic foot

Waste Materials

(Wastepaper) 7,500 Btu/pound

Waste Oils and

Tars

6 million Btu/barrel

(Green) Wood

Chips

(50% Moisture)

10 million Btu/short ton

Wood Waste 

(50% Moisture) 9 million Btu/short ton

Other Definitions:

Btu = British thermal unit(s)

One barrel = 42 gallons

One short ton = 2,000 pounds

Examples of conversion from physical quantities to Btu

include:

C Your establishment consumed 250 cubic feet of hydrogen in

1998. 

The Btu equivalent is:

250 cu. ft. X 325.11 Btu per cubic foot

=81,277.50 Btu

=0.0813 million Btu

C Your establishment consumed 300 pounds of hydrogen in

1998. 

The Btu equivalent is:

300 pounds X 61,084 Btu per pound

=18,325,200 Btu

=18.325 million Btu
Page 5 Form EIA-846A (1999)

Section 1: Establishment Information

Month/Day/Year

Month/Day/Year

Employer Identification (EI)

Number (9 digits)

Name of new owner or operator

Number and Street

City State

 -

ZIP Code (9 digits)

Month/Day/Year

1. Did ownership of this establishment change during 1998?

Census use 

only

00011 

1 No ö Go to question 2.

2 Yes, Establishment was sold during the year ö complete all sections of this questionnaire for

activities that occurred in 1998 prior to the sale.

Go to question 2

3 Yes, Establishment was bought during the yearö complete all sections of the questionnaire for

activities that occurred in 1998 after the sale. 

Go to question 2

2. Mark the answer which best describes this establishment at the end of 1998:

00010 1 a. In operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ö Go to question 4

2

b. Ceased operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ö

 

enter date:

Go to question 4

 

3 c. Sold or leased TO another operator . . . . . ö enter date: 

 Go to question 3

If none of the above, go to question 4.

3. Enter the following information only if this establishment was sold or leased to another operator during 1998; otherwise,

go to question 4.

4. Enter the reporting period for the information reported on this questionnaire. Unless there are special circumstances

like those reported above, this reporting period should be from January 1, 1998 to December 31, 1998.

From: To:

Go to question 5, Section 2, next page

Month/Day/Year