Apr 9 2008
The Alliance to Save Energy today urged consumers to help tackle spiraling energy prices by reducing consumption and urged Congress to adopt new energy-efficiency policies. Such steps are the best ways to combat oil prices anticipated to exceed $100/barrel on average this year and natural gas prices of more than $1.40/thousand cubic feet, the Alliance said.
“For the first time, the U.S. Energy Information Administration has projected crude oil prices averaging more than $100 barrel for the year, as well as gasoline prices averaging $3.36 a gallon,” noted Alliance President Kateri Callahan.
“EIA also has projected a sharp increase in natural gas prices – to $8.59/thousand cubic feet, up from $7.17 last year – on the heels of a winter when the average U.S. household heating with natural gas already was expected to pay 10 percent more than last year.
“Such circumstances require actions to increase our nation’s energy efficiency on both the personal and policy fronts. We urge consumers to make their homes more energy efficient and to maintain their vehicles and drive sensibly to reduce their gasoline costs.
“We also urge Congress to reinstate expired consumer and business energy-efficiency tax incentives, such as those included in the recently introduced Clean Energy Tax Stimulus Act of 2008 to provide immediate relief to Americans reeling from rising energy prices.” (See http://www.ase.org/content/news/detail/4567 for details on that legislation.)