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Summary
Due to the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPACT), the Manufacturing Energy Consumption
Survey (MECS) has become a biennial collection, instead of triennial, starting with the 1994
collection. In addition, it is expected that the sample size will be expanded to accommodate data
reporting on the basis of census division.
IS serves two primary customers: the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris and the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), field offices in Singapore and Tokyo. Energy data
are needed for the three general areas of what IS terms "the energy balance:"
- national supply of energy, including imports and exports
- transformation of energy supply into other energy products (for example, coal transformed into
coke)
- "final" consumption of energy (final in the sense of which type of sector, such as household or
industrial, consumes the energy).
Those types of information are regularly requested for the U.S. in categories that the MECS
does not collect and at a frequency rate that the MECS cannot accommodate. Hence, IS does not
really use much MECS data.
However, IS has annually requested MECS data for total fuel inputs. For the years when the
MECS collected data, EEUISD had been providing MECS data at the U.S. national level for
two-digit International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) Codes. In addition, for the 1991
MECS publication, Mr. Schipper plans to include an appendix that tabulates energy data by ISIC
categories. IS was pleased to learn of this effort.
Although the MECS can provide ISIC equivalents, two problems have arisen. First, data are
not available at ISIC levels below two digits, nor are data available for the interim years when the
MECS is not conducted. Second, the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) is considering a
revision of the present U.S. SIC system, which could upset the MECS' ability to provide ISIC
equivalents.
In his efforts to link U.S. SICs with ISICs for MECS data, Mr. Schipper noted that although an
ISIC estimate can be produced, it's not necessarily a reliable estimate, or at least as reliable as
standard MECS estimates (within plus or minus 5% of the true value). IS suggested that the degree
of reliability should also be published with the ISIC estimate, thereby allowing the peruser to
decide if the ISIC estimate is suitable for his purposes.
IS would like to see EIA surveys evolve towards data collection within the "energy balance"
framework. Right now, some surveys overlap one another, and there is no coordinated attempt to
reconcile conflicting numbers from different surveys that collect similar information. For
example, the annual EIA-3 Survey collects energy consumption that includes utilities, which are
outside the scope of the MECS collection. Yet, numbers from those two surveys are often
compared.
Mr. Preston pointed out that, for the 1991 MECS publication, he plans to include an appendix
that will reconcile MECS estimates with those of EIA's Integrated Statistics Branch, and IS
expressed appreciation for this effort.
In conclusion, the 1994 MECS collection will not change specifically to meet IS needs, but
efforts will continue to produce ISIC estimates and to provide reconciliation explanations for
comparable estimates in other EIA surveys.
File Last Modified: April 1, 1997
- Contact:
- robert.adler@eia.doe.gov
- Robert Adler
- Project Manager
- Phone: (202) 586-1134
- Fax: (202) 586-0018
