The average monthly expense for fuels and utilities in occupied housing units. Fuels include oil, coal, wood, kerosene, and other fuels; utilities include electricity, gas, and water. Costs are recorded if paid by or billed to occupants, a welfare agency, relatives, or friends. Costs paid by landlords or included in condominium or cooperative fees are excluded. Also excluded are payments by occupants for fuel bills other than their own. Water and fuel costs are converted from a yearly basis as reported, to a monthly basis.

Utility and fuel costs are used primarily as components of "Gross Rent" and "Selected Monthly Owner Costs." since utilities included in rent payments are not recorded, residential energy cost data for renter-occupied units are of limited value for direct study. For that reason, separate fuel and utility cost figures are not issued in the more widely circulated census reports, but only on summary tapes. Basic record tapes and microdata show dollar amounts up to $999 for electricity, gas, and water, and to $9,999 for fuels. If the respondent used words or symbols such as more than" or some dollar amount with a "+", a dollar was added to the amount; if "less than" was used a dollar was subtracted. If the entry read "around," "approximately," or "about," the amount reported was used. These items were asked on a sample basis.