[Federal Register: June 3, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 105)]
[Notices]
[Page 26675-26677]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03jn09-51]
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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 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is
forecasting the representative average unit costs of five residential
energy sources for the year 2009 pursuant to the Energy Policy and
Conservation Act. The five sources are electricity, natural gas, No. 2
heating oil, propane, and kerosene.
DATES: The representative average unit costs of energy contained in
this notice will become effective July 6, 2009 and will remain in
effect until further notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
[[Page 26676]]
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) requires that DOE prescribe test procedures for
the measurement 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(b)(3)) These test procedures are found in
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 430, subpart B.
Section 323(b)(3) 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)(3)) 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 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 in a Federal Register notice entitled, ``Energy Conservation
Program for Consumer Products: Representative Average Unit Costs of
Energy'', dated March 3, 2008 (73 FR 11406). Effective July 6, 2009,
the cost figures published on March 3, 2008, will be superseded by the
cost figures set forth in this notice.
DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA) has developed the
2009 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 March 2009, 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 2003-2007 averages for these two fuels. The
source for these price data is the February 2009 Monthly Energy Review
DOE/EIA-0035(2009/02). 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 2009 representative average unit costs under section 323(b)(4)
of the Act are set forth in Table 1, and will become effective July 6,
2009. They will remain in effect until further notice.
Issued in Washington, DC, on May 26, 2009.
Steven G. Chalk,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy.
Table 1--Representative Average Unit Costs of Energy for Five Residential Energy Sources
[2009]
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As required by test
Type of energy Per million Btu\1\ In commonly used terms procedure
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Electricity.......................... $33.41 11.40[cent]/kWh \2,3\... $.1140/kWh
Natural Gas.......................... 11.12 $1.112/therm \4\ or .00001112/Btu
$11.44/MCF \5,6\.
No. 2 Heating Oil.................... 16.22 $2.25/gallon \7\........ .00001622/Btu
Propane.............................. 21.02 $1.92/gallon \8\........ .00002102/Btu
Kerosene............................. 15.63 $2.11/gallon \9\........ .00001563/Btu
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Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook (March 2009) and Monthly Energy
Review (February 2009).
\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 1,029 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.
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[FR Doc. E9-12913 Filed 6-2-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P