A PRESSING NEED FOR A SURCHARGE.(Business)

You might not have noticed, but Kem Cleaners has a note on its dry-cleaning invoices that says your bill includes a ``temporary 10 percent energy surcharge.''

A two-piece suit dry-cleaned at the Slingerlands store at a cost of $13.40, for instance, had a $1.34 energy surcharge. The final bill was $14.74.

This isn't a new thing for Kem, which operates 15 stores in the Capital Region, or other cleaners across the country. Most use a tremendous amount of oil or natural gas to run their high-pressure boilers, said Alan Spielvogel, director of technical services for the National Cleaners Association in New York City, and dry cleaners are putting in a surcharge or raising …