As the name suggests, Natural Gas is a naturally occurring gas that can be used as a source of heat. While it derives mostly from methane, it’s still composed of other hydrocarbons, such as CO2 and water vapor. In today’s modern age, it’s used as a popular heat source for your home! But what exactly is it and how does it work? Below, I’ll be going over what you need to know about Natural Gas and what you can use it for!
Composition
Natural Gas is primarily composed of methane gas and other hydrocarbons such as CO2 and water vapor. It takes millions of years to form under conditions where there’s intense heat and pressure. This turns it into an odorless and colorless gas that’s a non-renewable fossil fuel. This means that it derives from prehistoric plants and animals and that the methane used in natural gas is in limited supply. We’re actually using more of it than what’s being produced. However, despite being made of primarily methane, natural gas is completely safe to use! It’s ignited in its gas state before it’s turned into heat!
Methane gas is the primary component in natural gas. As we know, methane is a biofuel, meaning it comes from organic life. Buffalo, cattle, and Sheep are some examples of animals that produce it naturally. In today’s age, we produce roughly anywhere from 580-640 metric tons of methane gas every year! For reference, that’s more than scientists believe was created annually by sauropod dinosaurs during the Jurassic period(530-570 metric tons)! However, we produce ours through many different ways, such as agriculture, fossil fuels, and landfills. So technically, the dinosaurs had us beat there!
Natural Gas Today
In today’s day and age, natural gas is used as a form of heating! It is used as a way to heat the home and for cooking. Some newer apartment complexes and homes will often use natural gas as their main way to heat!
Because it’s a fossil fuel, you must get it through a network of underground pipes that was put there during construction. It’s growing in popularity, but it’s only really found in towns and cities that have a dense population. Gas lines will tend to be a network of pipes underneath the town or city that connect to various buildings.
You’ll often see meters outside homes or buildings that use natural gas. These meters will help you understand how much you’re putting into your home or the building. Based on how much you use, you’re then charged by the utility company that maintains the system. But it still tends to be cheaper than heating oil and propane. I’ve seen monthly bills as low as $50 for a small apartment.
Natural Gas Vs Heating Oil
Natural Gas tends to be more efficient and tends to burn a bit cleaner than coal does. However, how does it compare to heating oil that’s fairly popular?
The major advantage of heating oil is its flexibility. The nice thing about heating oil is that you own your tank, and you can buy heating oil from pretty much anyone. This gives you the flexibility to shop around and get the best price possible for you! Websites such as Fuelsnap will allow you to shop around to get the best price. However, natural gas doesn’t tend to have this flexibility. Usually, you’ll only have to get it from your utility provider, so you won’t have much flexibility there.
The nice thing about Natural gas is that you won’t have to rely on a delivery to get it! Unlike heating oil, where you have to worry about when your next delivery will be, it’ll just flow naturally into your home through the network of pipes in your town! This makes it cheap and reliable!
Conclusion
Natural Gas is a cheap and reliable fossil fuel that’s becoming more and more popular by the day! While it’s only available for certain towns and cities, it’s still a great way to heat the home! However, while it is cheap and reliable, being a fossil fuel means it’s limited in supply! But, given the chance to buy a house or move into an apartment with it, I definitely recommend it! Being that it’s reliable and burns much cleaner than other options, it’s a great choice. However, be aware that you cannot order it around, and it tends to come from the provider and naturally enter the home!
Happy Heating!
Hunter
