1. Energy costs: a review of methods

Abstract Forecasts of energy shortages were already stimulating analyses of patterns or energy consumption before the quadrupling of oil prices and the interruption in supplies. These recent events have made such studies urgent. In this article — the first in a series on energy budgets — Dr Chapman examines the problems in constructing energy costs, the aims of such studies and the methods used. These are illustrated by examples of energy costs which indicate the care required in interpreting and using published results.