Updates and More... The Ever Changing Energy Statistical Database There is one thing certain about a database: it's never static, but continually changing as new data becomes available. That's a good description of the state's energy statistics database maintained by the Energy Office. Under a broad mandate from the Legislature to compile and maintain a database on how energy is used and what the state's needs are, the Energy Office continues to revise the scope of this evolving resource:

• http://www.neo.state.ne.us/statshtml/68nebraska.html">Degree Days have been updated through July 2004.Degree days are used to estimate fuel consumption and to pinpoint the nominal annual heating and cooling loads of a building.

A degree day is a 1 degree Fahrenheit difference between 65 degrees Fahrenheit and the average outdoor air temperature on a given day. The more extreme the temperature, the higher the number of degree days. Degree day measurements can be used to describe the effect of outdoor temperature on the amount of energy needed for space heating or cooling. By studying degree day patterns in an area, the increases or decreases in heating or air conditioning bills can be evaluated from year to year. The Nebraska Energy Office also maintains degree days and degree day normals fortwelve cities around the state in addition to the state's degree days.

• http://www.neo.state.ne.us/statshtml/124.htm">Prices for Natural Gas at Henry Hub have recently been added to the database. The Henry Hub in southern Louisiana is a major market center with interconnections for many of the pipelines that transport U.S.-produced gas to the East Region, which includes Nebraska. The Henry Hub is also the preferred reference point for prices for most of the domestic gas destined for the East.Last year's prices andprevious prices at Henry Hub are also available.