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| Fuel Hogs.与其他机械相比，越野设备燃烧燃料更多。（照片由伊利诺伊州运输部提供） |
ENergy Markets去年10月显示出通货膨胀的预警迹象，当时原油价格在纽约商业交易所的常规交易中达到了每桶51美元以上。全球价格波动归咎于某些石油生产的国家的劳动动乱，除了紧密的供应和高需求之外，名义燃油价格飙升至其历史上最高，并且自1980年代初以来，其通货膨胀调整后最高。
A relatively calm winter seasonprice-wisefollowed by another record-setter in early April, has construction professionals on the watch for more price swings and making bid adjustments whenever possible. "At this point, it appears that the aggravated fuel costs have either been absorbed or subtly passed along to clients," says Karl F. Almstead, vice president of construction costs for Turner Corp. in New York City. Crude oil prices spiked to $58.29 per barrel April 1, falling to the low-to-mid 50s in June.
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Full 2 Q Cost Report 2005 |
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Executives eyeing the energy markets are locking in rates as oil suppliers change prices on a more frequent basis. This is especially noticeable for heavy civil contractors that need fuel-thirsty machinery to perform earthmoving work, according to Steve Halverson, president of Halverson Construction Co. Inc., a road-and-bridge builder based in Springfield, Ill.
Hedging on oil supplies gives firms extra security during turbulent times. Dale Warner, corporate equipment manager for C.J. Miller LLC, Hempstead, Md., has started negotiating bulk fuel purchases for three-month windows. "We used to buy right on the rack price," Warner says. "Now weve locked in on a guaranteed price."
The economics of construction fuel add up fast. Halversons company is, among other projects, working as a grading and paving subcontractor for a $20-million, 6-mile highway job near Carthage, Ill. "We have two years to move 1.1 million cu yd of dirt," says Halverson. "Were looking at 1,000 gallons a day."
Similarly, C.J. Miller, an excavation and paving contractor, buys as much as 150,000 gal of fuel every month. That amounts to about 90,000 gal of off-road diesel, 48,000 gal of on-road diesel and 18,000 gal of gasoline, according to Warner. In an attempt to conserve energy, "We have purchased a lot more crew-cab trucks," he says, "The foreman now hauls all the people to the jobsite instead of just himself."
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Light, sweet crude oil started out the year around $42 bbl but has surpassed the $55-bbl mark several times since then. Many industry observers believe the $60- bbl threshold is coming soon. John C. Felmy, chief economist for the American Petroleum Institute, does not speculate on future prices but explains that crude oil prices "have been going up and down with a lot of volatility for the last three years."
政府分析师预测，西得克萨斯州中级原油的价格是加工燃料和其他基于石油的产品的另一个价格指标，平均在第三季度$ 53 bbl，并且在2006年期末至年底之前保持超过50美元。这足以保持每月一次分析师说，汽油价格高于每加仑2美元。根据美国能源信息管理局的短期短期能源展望，在今年的夏季建设季节中，预计公路柴油价格的平均价格为2.22美元。
Diesels retail pump price historically trails gasoline, but it now is as much as 10¢ more per gal and even higher in some regions. "We have seen the price of fuel just about double in the last 16 months," says Jim Gleason, president of Charles R. Gleason Co., an earthmoving contractor and aggregate producer in Northfield, Minn.
A Struggle
Felmy表示，对所有类型的柴油燃料的需求在全球“非常强大”。尽管炼油厂一直在生产创纪录的燃料和加热油，但“仍然很难跟上，”他补充说。
It is likely that constructions need for fuel "is going to remain high," says Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, Alexandria, Va.
Prices for off-road diesel fuel, which is not subject to road-use taxes, also are above-average this year. Preliminary figures for Mays Producer Price Index have diesel up 41% since last year. That indicates a considerable surge in the price of wholesale diesel fuel before taxes, according to economists. Over the long-term, todays prices are 129% higher than the same time frame in 2002, which was only 41% higher than the previous three years.
能源通货膨胀推高了cost of other petroleum-based products besides fuel, such as bituminous roofing materials and liquid asphalt. The cost of moving freight and heavy equipment outfits are rising, too, forcing suppliers to tack on fuel surcharges, "especially for a large crane and transporting equipment," says Shaun Sipe, a project manager for Barnhart Crane & Rigging Co., Memphis, Tenn.
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| （Paul Hartley摄于Enr）新利18备用 |
Idle Time
资本设备的燃油效率可能会控制石油价格方程中其他变量中最大的燃油效率，它有望成为储蓄的主要来源。北卡罗来纳州阿什维尔的沃尔沃建筑设备北美公司的客户支持经理兰迪·布什利（Ra新利18备用官网登录ndy Bushelli）说：“燃料是机器上最高的运营成本之一，在26％至30％之间。”
但是，设备专家警告说，但是，如果没有大量的前期投资，燃油效率就不会产生。芝加哥沃尔什集团（Walsh Group）的前设备管理副总裁罗伯特·安德拉德（Robert Andrade）说：“您必须继续升级。”“有一些型号，节省成本将为新机器支付。”
Clean-air initiatives are helping. Newer diesel engines that run on cleaner fuel are becoming more efficient to operate, maintain and repair, experts say. High-horsepower units reached the market early this year on off-road machines and more are expected in January.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a rule last year that drops the sulfur content in off-road diesel to 500 parts per million by 2007 and 15 ppm by 2010. EPA requires on-road fuel to be at 500 ppm, with a lower, 15-ppm requirement that kicks in June 2006 (ENR 5/24/04 p. 10). "This isnt your fathers diesel fuel," Felmy says. Ironically, the changes are expected to drive up the cost of fuel production by as much as 7¢ per gal through 2014, EPA estimates.
The regulations also bring more sophisticated engine technology to offset these increases, but many construction firms either do not know how to tap into their machines for fuel savings or are not interested in trying at all, equipment experts suggest.
Tracking fuel in the first place often is a challenge. The disconnect between the office and the field is a main reason why fuel tracking often gets lost among project...
