About Natural Gas
Many questions regarding Natural Gas may be answered by checking out the following websites:
Natural Gas Information and Education Resources
U.S. Natural Gas Information at a Glance (Energy Information Administration)
Overview of the U.S. Natural Gas Industry
DEMAND
GAS UTILITY INDUSTRY REVENUES FROM SALES (2005)
CUSTOMERS
- 68.9 million customers used natural gas in 2005:
- 63.6 million residential customers. Most of them (49.1 million) heated with natural gas, making natural gas the most popular home-heating fuel. Of all heated U.S. households in 2005, 52 percent used natural gas heat - compared with 32 percent electric, 9 percent fuel oil or kerosene and 7 percent propane, coal, wood or solar heat.
- 5.1 million commerical customers. Natural gas accounts for 39 percent of commerical energy consumption, at facilities such as hospitals, schools, offices, etc.
- 206,000 industrial customers, such as manufacturing plants. Natural gas is the primary source of energy in the industrial sector, accounting for 43 percent of total energy consumption.
DELIVERY SYSTEM
- Natural gas is delivered to customers through 1.5 million miles of pipeline: 1,214,000 miles of local distribution pipes; 300,000 miles of transmission (large-volume) pipes and 20,000 miles of field and gathering lines.
SUPPLY
- The U.S. natural gas resource base is estimated to be even larger than previously thought. U.S. natural gas resources are estimated to be 1,779 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) - enough to last more than 50 years at current production rates.
- Almost all (84 percent) of the natural gas consumed in the United States is produced in the United States. Most of the remainder comes form neighboring Canada.
PRICE
- Natural gas in 2005 was the lowest cost conventional energy source available for residential use, according to the DOE. On average, one million Btus of natural gas cost $13.22, compared with $28.42 for the same amount of electricity, $21.94 for propane, and $17.84 for No. 2 heating oil.
We have addressed a few typical questions here, such as
What are the benefits of gas cooling?
There are clear benefits associated witht the use of gas cooling. The use of harmful artificial refrigerants such as chloroflurocarbons and hydroflurocarbons (which contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer) is eliminated in gas cooling absorbtion units.
Gas chillers can reduce CO2 emissions (the dominant greenhouse gas) by up to 50 percent compared to an equivalent electric chiller powered by electricity generated from coal.
Desiccants can, in an energy efficient manner, prevent `sick building syndrome' and provide very high ventilation rates and control humidity.
The benefits of gas cooling can be utilised in many areas, including: supermarkets, hospitals, schools, hotels, homes, indoor ice-skating rinks, movie theatres, warehouses and office buildings.
What is gas cooling?
Many people are unaware that the natural gas that heats buildings in the winter can also cool and dehumidify them in the summer by the process known as gas cooling.
Gas cooling converts gas combustible heat energy into cooling energy through a number of different processes, including absorption, vapour compression, cogeneration and desiccant systems.
For information on natural gas airconditioning units go to www.gasairconditioning.org.
What is natural gas? Published: 7/1/02 (American Gas Association)
Natural gas is a combustible, gaseous mixture of simple hydrocarbon compounds, usually found in deep underground reservoirs formed by porous rock. Natural gas is a fossil fuel composed almost entirely of methane, but does contain small amounts of other gases, including ethane, propane, butane and pentane. Methane is composed of a molecule of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms.
Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel, producing primarily carbon dioxide, water vapor and small amounts of nitrogen oxides. Other fossil fuels are coal and oil, which together with natural gas, account for about 88 percent of U.S. energy consumption.
The prevailing scientific theory is that natural gas was formed millions of years ago when plants and tiny sea animals were buried by sand and rock. Layers of mud, sand, rock and plant and animal matter continued to build up until the pressure and heat from the earth turned them into petroleum and natural gas.
The first use of gas energy in the United States occurred in 1816, when gaslights illuminated the streets of Baltimore, Md. By 1900, natural gas had been discovered in 17 states. During the years following World War II, expansion of the extensive interstate pipeline network occurred, bringing natural gas service to customers all over the country.
Currently, oil provides the largest share of U.S. energy consumption -- about 41 percent of the entire market. Natural gas provides about 24 percent, coal 23 percent, hydropower 4 percent and nuclear power 8 percent. However, about one-half of the oil Americans use is imported; in contrast, 85 percent of the natural gas U.S. consumers use is produced domestically. The remaining 15 percent primarily comes from Canada via pipeline.
Natural gas, like other forms of heat energy, is measured in British thermal units or Btu. One Btu is equivalent to the heat needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit at atmosphere pressure.
A cubic foot of natural gas has about 1,027 Btu. Natural gas is normally sold from the wellhead in the production field to purchasers in standard volume measurements of thousands of cubic feet (Mcf). However, consumer bills are usually measured in heat content or therms. One therm is a unit of heating equal to 100,000 Btu.
Three segments of the natural gas industry are involved in delivering natural gas from the wellhead to the consumer. Production companies explore, drill and extract natural gas from the ground. Transmission companies operate the pipelines that link the gas fields to major consuming areas. Distribution companies are the local utilities that deliver natural gas to the customer.
About 46 percent of natural gas delivered to U.S. consumers is used in the industrial sector, providing energy for everything from mining minerals to processing food. Generating electricity consumes about 15 percent. Another 15 percent is used in the commercial market -- for heating and cooling office buildings, hospitals and schools, and for cooking in restaurants. Most of the remaining amount -- about 22 percent -- is used in the residential market, providing energy for home heating, hot water, cooking, clothes drying and air conditioning.
Natural gas is delivered to about 175 million American consumers through a 2.0 million-mile network of underground pipe. A total of 288,000 producing natural gas wells, 125 natural gas pipeline companies and more than 1,200 gas distribution companies provide gas service to all 50 states. The United States accounts for about 24 percent of the world's natural gas production each year.
The American Gas Association is a trade organization that represents natural gas distribution companies.
