There are many ways people can save money on their homes. One way to save money is by using natural gas. When most people think of natural gas, they may not realize that this could help them save. In fact, it comes as a surprise to many people that families can save more than $800 per year thanks to natural gas!

What You Should Know About Natural Gas

Before you figure out how natural gas can help your home, it is important to know what natural gas is. Natural gas is a fossil fuel that’s clean and does not have any odor or color in its natural state. A good amount of the natural gas that is found and currently used was from animals and plants that were super small (also known as microscopic) millions of years ago. Living organisms take energy from the sun. The energy these plants and animals got was stored as carbon molecules in their body. Through the course of nature, some of their remains were able to transform into natural gas. It is made up of four hydrocarbon atoms and one carbon atom. The cool thing is the fact that natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel. To receive natural gas, people depend on advanced technology. It is very popular nowadays to use natural gas. More than half of American families use gas!

Natural Gas Measurement

This is going to be a little technical, but it can offer some insight into just how natural gas can save you money. Natural gas is measured in the same way other types of energy are measured, which is in British thermal units (Btu). One Btu is basically worth the heat needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. A cubic foot of natural gas is the amount of 1,032 Btu. On your energy bill, it might look a little different. This is because most natural gas bills measure the gas in therm. A therm is a measurement unit that amounts to 103,200 Btu. In this context, it takes two therms to heat your home per day. As another example, it would take 10 therms to warm up the typical home for five days. This would include cooking, space heating, heating water, and so on.

Natural Gas is Safe: Here’s What We Know

Individuals might worry that natural gas is not safe. Fortunately, there are constant improvements when it comes to safety in the natural gas industry. This includes employees managing the natural gas and consumers who are using the gas. For instance, there are United States Safety statistics that show continued improvement in employee safety over the last five years. Consumers need to know more about natural gas safety, too!

Be Knowledgeable

It is important to keep in mind the signs of natural gas. In its natural state, it does not have an odor. It is different once it goes into houses. Utilities make the gas smell awful. The smell of natural gas smells like rotten eggs. This makes it easy for people in the household to notice a leak. Once you know the signs to look for with a natural gas leak, you want to make sure that you know what to do.

If you smell gas, then you should make sure that you do not cause any sparks. This includes not lighting a match, not smoking, starting a car, and so on. You should leave the house at once and take everyone in the house out with you. If you still smell the gas when you leave the house, you will need to get out of the area until you cannot smell it anymore. Once you are in a safe place, you will need to call someone to report the gas leak as soon as possible. You can either make a call to 911 or your natural gas utility company. They will tell you what to do next.

Natural Gas Savings: What You Need to Know

Now that you have the know-how about natural gas, it is time for you to know how you can gain from it. Natural gas furnaces have higher annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) ratings. They can offer more savings for consumers! A 97% AFUE gas furnace amounts to only $453 each year to operate. Even an 80% AFUE gas furnace is worth less to operate than the most cost-efficient propane furnace. Natural gas furnaces are twice to four times less costly than the most efficient furnaces such as oil furnaces, electric resistance furnaces, and electronic heat pumps.

On average, families that use natural gas rather than electricity for their homes can use it for tasks such as cooking, heating, and drying clothes. These households can save approximately $879 per year. To give you some insight into the amount of savings across the United States, the reduced prices of natural gas have resulted in savings of approximately $50 billion for consumers who use natural gas over the last four years. The expense of natural gas has been less than the expenses of electricity, fuel oil, and propane since 2010. The expectations for these expenses can remain this low until 2040!

The Final Verdict

There are many ways that individuals can decide to power their homes. One of the most affordable choices is natural gas. Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel and it is a very affordable option for customers. Families can save up to approximately $879 each year through the use of natural gas, rather than using electricity. Other than helping families save individually, it is important to remember how natural gas has been able to help many families across the United States. Families that chose natural gas rather than electricity have saved approximately $50 billion over the last four years.

The best part of natural gas is that it has been lower than electricity, fuel oil, and propane costs since 2010 and expectations assume that it will remain that way until 2040. If you are interested in learning more about natural gas and what that means for your family, then you should consider talking to a local provider.