NATURAL
GAS
nature’s choice for clean energy
Technical Review Provided By:
ecology and environment, inc.
www.nationalfuelgas.com
Global Environmental Specialists
www.ene.com
Introduction
Natural gas is
part of the carbon
management and
energy security
solution.
Clean, efficient, abundant, American-produced natural gas offers a realistic
solution, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while at the same time
providing the reasonably priced, reliable energy source our country needs
to sustain and grow our economy. With global climate change on everyone’s mind and how to lighten our “carbon footprint” on everyone’s to-do
list, all the talk is about switching to renewable “green” fuels, such as wind
and solar energy. Realistically, however, these energy sources currently only
supply about 2% to 3% of our nation’s energy needs and cannot be the only
solution to help us reduce greenhouse gas emissions to levels considered
“safe” by most scientists.
You might ask why natural gas? When compared
to other traditional fuels it’s the natural choice.
IT’S MORE
EFFICIENT…
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HAS LOWER
EMISSIONS…
IS MORE
ECONOMICAL…
…AND PROMOTES
ENERGY SECURITY
EMISSIONS
POUNDS PER BILLION BTU OF ENERGY INPUT
SOURCE: Energy Information Administration
NATURAL GAS
NATURAL
GAS
CO 2
NATURAL
GAS
NO X
OIL
COAL
NATURAL
GAS
SO 2
NATURAL
GAS
PARTICULATES
Emissions
Natural gas—among the cleanest, most efficient, cost effective, and abundant
energy sources in the United States—produces less harmful emissions than
its fuel counterparts: coal, oil, and propane.
Natural gas produces less carbon dioxide (CO2)—the primary greenhouse gas
believed to be contributing to global climate change—than other commonly
used energy sources. The primary byproducts from the use of natural gas are
CO2 and water. In fact, natural gas energy emits approximately 45% less CO2
than coal fueled electricity and nearly 30% less CO2 than fuel oil.
Natural gas produces virtually no emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2)—the
primary pollutant that forms acid rain—particulate matter, or mercury, and far
less nitrogen oxides (NOx)—the primary precursor in the formation of smog—
than either coal or oil. In addition, it produces virtually no solid waste and has
much less impact on water quality than these competing energy sources.
Natural gas is
among the most
efficient and
cleanest energy
sources.
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Efficiency
Natural gas
is three times
as efficient as
electricity when
total energy
efficiency is
compared.
100
UNITS OF SOURCE
ENERGY
Electricity has to be produced at large central plants by using something else as
a fuel source. While this process can generate a lot of power, it also generates
a lot of waste—and wastes a lot of energy. The environmental impacts from
energy consumption apply to more than the energy used directly at our homes
and businesses.
When the entire cycle of producing, processing, and
transporting is considered, natural gas is delivered to the
consumer with a “total energy efficiency” of about 90%
compared with about 27% for electricity.
Extraction, Processing,
and Transportation
Losses
92
Distribution
Losses
UNITS OF
ENERGY
90
UNITS DELIVERED
TO CUSTOMER
NATURAL GAS
100
UNITS OF SOURCE
ENERGY
Extraction,
Processing, and
Transportation
Losses
88
UNITS OF
ENERGY
Conversion
Losses
29
UNITS OF
ENERGY
Distribution
Losses
27
UNITS DELIVERED
TO CUSTOMER
ELECTRICITY
Based on Current Fossil Fuel Mix of Coal, Oil, and Natural Gas
SOURCE: Energy Solutions Center
Centralized electricity consumes significant energy, with resulting polluting emissions,
during all stages of production and delivery. The point of greatest inefficiency is at the
electric generating plant, where roughly two-thirds of the input energy is lost as heat in the
production of steam to turn large turbine/generators.
Don’t be fooled by the stated higher end-use efficiency of electric equipment. In a particular
end-use application, such as water heating, the total energy required for the gas option is
less when total fuel cycle is considered. The overall efficiency of natural gas more than
offsets the difference.
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ELECTRICITY
$33.41
MMBTU
Compared with Other Energy Sources,
Natural Gas is the Most Economical
2009 U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
AVERAGE UNIT COST
SOURCE: US DOE, Federal Register, Vol. 74
PROPANE
$21.02
MMBTU
OIL
$16.22
Although the actual prices vary across the country, natural gas is
largely the most economical form of energy available regardless
of which competing fuel it is measured against, the application involved, or the geographic location of the consumer.
MMBTU
NATURAL
GAS
$11.12
MMBTU
When equivalent energy content is considered,
natural gas is the most economical energy choice
for residential and commercial applications.
Energy Security
Today, approximately 85% of the natural gas used in the U.S. is
produced domestically, with the remaining 15% coming primarily
from Canada. Advances in technology have made finding and
producing natural gas more efficient and successful with less
impact on the environment. New and evolving technology also
helps natural gas producers extract new resources from old,
mature fields.
The natural gas resource base continues to expand—estimates
of its size are larger today than in the early 1990s, with
the current estimate at a 100-year supply. Since
natural gas is produced here in the U.S., higher
demand for gas will create jobs here in the
U.S. Furthermore, natural gas is a reliable
source of fuel because the pipeline delivery
system is underground and protected from
weather-related and unforeseen disruptions.
Nearly all of the natural
gas used in the U.S. is
from North America
sources, unlike oil, 60%
of which is imported
from foreign, and often,
politically unstable
countries.
OF SUPPLY
FROM U.S. NATURAL
GAS RESERVES
5
Comparing the bene
Energy Source
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Emissions
Natural Gas
Low NOx, SOx, and CO2 emissions,
virtually no particulates, and
no solid waste or mercury generation
Electricity
Fossil fuel generating plants produce
more NOx, SOx, CO2 , particulates,
solid waste, and mercury than the
direct use of natural gas
Oil
Oil equipment produces more
CO2, NOx, SOx, particulates and
mercury than natural gas
Propane
Propane equipment produces
more CO2 than natural gas
Wood
Wood equipment produces more
CO2, particulates and solid waste
than natural gas, and can produce
significant smoke and odors
efits of natural gas
Efficiency and Economics
Energy Reliability/Security
Very efficient, delivering
approximately 90% of source
energy to households, and
typically less expensive than
competing fuels
97% of U.S. natural gas
supply is produced in
North America, 85% within
the U.S. itself, with the
bulk of the remainder from
Canada
Fossil fuel plants are very
inefficient, delivering less than
30% of source energy to
households, electricity is typically
2 to 4 times more expensive on an
energy-equivalent basis
Electric systems/equipment are
more subject to outages due to
weather conditions and high
system demands, often
generated by foreign oil
Fuel oil is more
expensive on an energyequivalent basis and
requires higher expense
to clean and maintain
The majority of the oil supply is
sourced from overseas
production, requires storage
tank and prepayment, and
often originates in unstable
countries
Propane is more
expensive on an energy
equivalent basis, very
regionalized and highly
variable
The majority of propane
supply is from overseas
production and requires
storage tanks and
prepayment
Wood is very inefficient and
requires hauling, storage, and
ash disposal; prices are
regionalized and highly variable
Requires constant stoking to
maintain the availability of heat;
there are restrictions on wood
supplies; and availability
jeopardizes carbon capturing
forests
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The Direct Use of Natural Gas Maximizes
Efficiency and Minimizes Environmental Impact
The most
environmentally
friendly and
economical way
to benefit from
natural gas is to
use it directly in
our homes and
businesses.
When comparing efficiency and environmental impact, it is important to
consider the full fuel cycle of the energy source. Considering only the energy
used at the point of use can dramatically understate the total energy consumed
and the associated emissions and pollutants,
particularly with secondary energy sources such
as electricity. Incorporating the true overall energy
efficiency and emissions on a full fuel cycle basis
reveals that the direct use of natural gas delivers
significant benefits…less total energy consumed,
lower energy costs and reduced emissions.
Space heating is the most common use of natural gas in our region due to the
comfort, convenience, reliability, and lower operating costs. But these same
savings and benefits are available for a wide variety of indoor and outdoor
residential equipment and commercial and industrial applications, including:
RESIDENTIAL
NON-RESIDENTIAL
•Space Heating
•Space Heating and
Air Conditioning
•Water Heating
•Clothes Drying
•Cooking
•Fireplaces
•Outdoor Equipment
•On-site Power Generation
•Advanced Heating and
Cooling Systems
•Emergency Generators
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•Domestic Water
Heating
•Humidity Control
•On-site Power
Generation
•Compressed Air
•Process Water
Heating
•Water and Wastewater Pumping
•Industrial Process
Heating
•Solids and Liquid
Waste Treatment
•Commercial
Food Service
•Transportation Fuel
•Process Cooling
and Refrigeration
•Emergency
Generators
High-Efficiency natural gas uses—space heating, water heating, household/
commercial appliances, and industrial process equipment—are integral
parts of high performance building design. Installed within well insulated
buildings with high performance windows and doors, integrated high
efficiency lighting, heat recovery and control systems, natural gas equipment
provides increased energy savings and exceptional comfort.
And for those wishing to take energy efficiency to
the next level, the use of natural gas for on-site
electric generation, cooling, commercial refrigeration, and other non-traditional uses of natural
The Tom Ridge Environmental Center in Erie Pennsylvania
gas, presents exciting new opportunities to signifiearned LEED accreditation from the U.S. Green
Building Council, thanks in part to the high-efficiency
cantly reduce the total use of our energy resources.
natural gas boiler system chosen for this state-ofThe direct use of natural gas benefits both the
the-art educational, research, and visitor center.
environment and the bottom line, reducing our
dependence on power obtained from less efficient
and more polluting fossil-fueled electric generating plants and reducing the
need to construct costly new generating plants.
Natural gas can warm our homes and businesses, provide hot water, cook our
food, dry our clothes, generate clean power, and fuel our industries—all without
destroying our environment. It does so economically, with proven and reliable
technology and it is produced right here in North America…all of which makes
natural gas the fuel of choice.
Partnering with Renewables
Natural gas has significantly fewer emissions than oil, coal, and propane.
Additionally, there is an abundant, domestic supply that is readily available for use.
This creates an unprecedented opportunity to use gas as a path to a new, greener
energy economy that relies on efficiency and conservation, renewable energy,
and low-carbon natural gas. A solar thermal-assisted, gas hot water heater is an
example of combined technologies delivering increased efficiencies.
Natural Gas is a critical piece of the hybrid energy solution, providing a reliable
clean fuel for central electrical generation or on-site applications. Natural gas is
part of the sustainable mix that will meet America’s energy needs.
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Green Buildings and Natural Gas
The use of natural gas can advance green building. Also referred to as sustainable
design, green building is a whole-building and systems approach to facility design,
construction, and operation that employs techniques and strategies to minimize
environmental impacts and reduce energy consumption of buildings while contributing
to the health and productivity of the occupants. Therefore, the use of high efficiency
natural gas technologies and equipment can help a building project achieve environmental certification.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the nationally recognized rating system for green buildings in the U.S. developed by the United States
Green Building Council (USGBC). The LEED system awards points in five categories—
Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources,
and Indoor Environmental Quality—and includes options to achieve additional points for
innovation and regional credits.
The level of LEED certification is based on the number of points achieved. Certification
levels are Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The LEED category with the most number
of points available is Energy and Atmosphere.
Green Globes is another green building rating system administered by The Green
Building Initiative. Green Globes utilizes an on-site assessment and rating tool assessing
building performance on a 1,000-point scale in multiple categories: Site, Energy, Water,
Resources, Indoor Environment, Emissions, and Project/Environmental Management.
Energy Star is a label introduced by the EPA in 1992 to identify and promote energy
efficient products as well as residential and non-residential buildings. The Energy
Star label is available for 13
types of commercial buildings,
including retail stores, hotels,
schools, supermarkets, and
more. Energy Star buildings
normally use 35% less energy
and emit 35% less CO2
into the atmosphere
than average buildings.
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Natural gas has many uses: residential, commercial, and industrial. It is
among the CLEANEST energy sources and its many applications serve
to decrease harmful pollution levels from all sectors.
Summary of Natural Gas Benefits
More Efficient
Lower Cost per BTU
Less CO2
Domestic Supply
Reduce Demand on
Electric Grid
Less SO2 and NOx
The cleanest energy is the energy not consumed—SO PLEASE CONSERVE!
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For Additional Information on the Benefits and Uses of Natural Gas,
See the Following Resources:
American Clean Skies Foundation
www.cleanskies.org
American Gas Association
www.aga.org
American Gas Foundation
www.gasfoundation.org
American’s Natural Gas Alliance
www.newnaturalgas.org
Council for Responsible Energy
www.comfortableresponsible.org
Energy Solutions Center
www.energysolutionscenter.org
Natural Gas Supply Association
www.naturalgas.org
Technical Review Provided By:
ecology and environment, inc.
www.nationalfuelgas.com
Global Environmental Specialists
www.ene.com