Natural gas is an extremely versatile fuel. It used in residential structures as well as commercial buildings, and in the production process in many different industries. Natural gas can also be used to power vehicles. Did you know that natural gas is used to run electrical power plants? When you take the time to think about it, you will realize that natural gas is involved in many different aspects of our lives.
There are many things in your home that are powered by natural gas. According to the American Gas Association (AGA) there are around 65 million homes in the United States that are using natural gas. On average, one American home uses more than 200 cubic feet of natural gas. About 23% of the total amount of natural gas that is used in the United States is being used in people’s homes.
Most homes are using furnaces that are heated by natural gas. Your furnace is what turns on when your home is below the temperature that you set on your thermostat. It pushes nicely heated air through your home, making you, and your family, very comfortable on cold days and nights. Natural gas is used in your hot water heater, so you can take a hot bath or shower when you want to.
The stove in your kitchen may also use natural gas. Top chefs tend to prefer stoves that uses natural gas over electric ranges because they heat up quicker and give the chef more control over the amount of heat that is used. You might not be an excellent chef, but even so, you are still using natural gas every time you cook your family a meal on your stove, or use your oven to bake a pizza or a batch of cookies.
Commercial structures, like the building you work in, the school your child attends, and the supermarket you shop at, also use natural gas. The AGA says that around 5 million businesses in the United States are using natural gas. The biggest thing that these places use natural gas for is to heat the air in the rooms that people will be using. Some also are using natural gas powered air conditioners to cool off interior places on hot days. This is for the comfort of both their workers and their customers.
Natural gas is also used in hotels to heat water. This is so the guests can take hot baths and showers and relax in the hot tub. They also use it to heat water for laundry. Restaurants use natural gas to heat water for sanitation of dishes, and in the stoves they use to cook meals for customers.
There are many industrial uses for natural gas. It is used to treat and incinerate waste, to preheat iron and steel, to melt glass, and to fuel industrial boilers. Butane, ethane, and propane, (which are components of natural gas), are used in fertilizer. Other uses include plastics, pharmaceuticals, and desiccants, to name a few.