[Federal Register: March 3, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 42)]
[Notices]
[Page 11406-11407]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03mr08-52]
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DEPARTMENT OF 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) is forecasting
the representative average unit costs of five residential energy
sources for the year 2008 pursuant to the Energy Policy and
Conservation Act. The five sources are electricity, natural gas, No. 2
heating oil, propane, and kerosene.
DATES: Effective Date: The representative average unit costs of energy
contained in this notice will become effective April 2, 2008 and will
remain in effect until further notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mohammed Khan, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy, Forrestal Building, Mail Station EE-2J, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121, (202) 586-7892,
Mohammed.Khan@ee.doe.gov.
Francine Pinto, 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) 586-7432,
Francine.pinto@hq.doe.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 323 of the Energy Policy and
Conservation Act (Act) (42 U.S.C. 6291-6309) 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. (42 U.S.C. 6293) These test
procedures are found in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR) part 430, subpart B.
Section 323(b) of the Act requires that the estimated annual
operating costs of a covered product be calculated from measurements of
energy use in a representative average use cycle or period of use and
from representative average unit costs of the energy needed to operate
such product during such cycle. (42 U.S.C. 6293(b)) The section further
requires that DOE provide information to manufacturers regarding the
representative average unit costs of energy. (42 U.S.C. 6293(b)(4))
This cost information should be used by manufacturers to meet their
obligations under section 323(c) of the Act. Most
[[Page 11407]]
notably, these costs are used to comply with Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) requirements for labeling. Manufacturers are required to use the
revised DOE representative average unit costs when the FTC publishes
new ranges of comparability for specific covered products, 16 CFR part
305. Interested parties can also find information covering the FTC
labeling requirements at http://www.ftc.gov/appliances.
DOE last published representative average unit costs of residential
energy for use in the Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products
Other Than Automobiles on March 21, 2007 (72 FR 13268). Effective April
2, 2008, the cost figures published on March 21, 2007, will be
superseded by the cost figures set forth in this notice.
DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA) has developed the
2008 representative average unit after-tax costs found in this notice.
The representative average unit after-tax costs for electricity,
natural gas, No. 2 heating oil, and propane are based on simulations
used to produce the January, 2008, EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook. (EIA
releases the Outlook monthly.) The representative average unit after-
tax cost for kerosene is derived from its price relative to that of
heating oil, based on the 2002-2006 averages for these two fuels. The
source for these price data is the December 2007 Monthly Energy Review
DOE/EIA-0035(2007/12). The Short-Term Energy Outlook and the Monthly
Energy Review are available on the EIA Web site at http://
www.eia.doe.gov. For more information on the two sources, contact the
National Energy Information Center, Forrestal Building, EI-30, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-8800, e-mail:
infoctr@eia.doe.gov.
The 2008 representative average unit costs under section 323(b)(4)
of the Act are set forth in Table 1, and will become effective April 2,
2008. They will remain in effect until further notice.
Issued in Washington, DC, on February 19, 2008.
Alexander A. Karsner,
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
Table 1.--Representative Average Unit Costs of Energy for Five Residential Energy Sources (2008)
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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........................... $31.65 10.80/kWh\2, 3\.......... $.1080/kWh.
Natural Gas........................... 13.28 $1.328/therm\4\ or $13.65/ .00001328/Btu.
MCF\5, 6\.
No. 2 Heating Oil..................... 23.00 $3.19/gallon\7\.......... .00002300/Btu.
Propane............................... 26.50 $2.42/gallon\8\.......... .00002650/Btu.
Kerosene.............................. 27.41 $3.70/gallon\9\.......... .00002741/Btu.
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Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook (January 2008) and Monthly Energy
Review (December 2007)
\1\ Btu stands for British thermal units.
\2\ kWh stands for kilowatt hour.
\3\ 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 1,028 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. E8-3992 Filed 2-29-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P