consumption much below that of the well off. Conversely, there would seem to be little reason for the well off to increase their consumption greatly.

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Electricity is used mainly in appliances and lighting, and thus is part luxury and part necessity. Here, as with natural gas, there seems to be a point when the well off prefer to spend their money for things other than electricity using devices.

Gasoline is truly the fuel of both necessity and pleasure. Gasoline may be necessary for shopping and commuting to work, but many gallons of gasoline can also be consumed on family vacations, weekend excursions, second cars, extra large cars, and so on. It is for these reasons that the well off use more than five times as much gasoline as the poor and more than twice as much as the lower middle group.

The energy gap reflects the income gap, but not precisely. From available data, average Btu's used per household do not appear to rise as rapidly as do average incomes, but this may be misleading. The energy gap might increase if exact measurement of all the energy expended indirectly in supplying households with various goods and services was possible. Fossil fuels and energy are used to make home furnishings, clothing, jewelry, appliances,