What Are the Advantages of Gas Heating
We often overlook the inner workings of things around us when we’re in our day-to-day routines. When we power on things around the house or other pieces of equipment, we just assume they’ll work. What we don’t think about is the form of fossil fuel that’s powering them, making our modern-day lives easier, more comfortable, and certainly warmer.
There are three main materials we’re talking about when we mention fossil fuels. The first is coal, which if we look at how shoddy and dirty things were in London and England during the Industrial Revolution, we know that’s something of the past. There’s also oil, which although it burns hotter and may seem like it warms up quicker, is more unstable and not as easy to regulate. The third, and perhaps the most common in recent years, is natural gas. It’s extracted in its gaseous state and mostly made up of methane (CH4).
There are certainly advantages of gas heating, and this form of heating is especially common in homes, but it’s gaining popularity across other applications too, such as industrial, commercial, and electric power generation. Natural gas is similar to gasoline and diesel, but it’s safer, cleaner, and currently the most-often-used type of energy to power our daily lives.
Due to the quickness of heating for cooking, water, and space heating, natural gas has become a popular source of energy for places like hospitals, hotels, motels, restaurants, and schools, where much of the energy use goes toward heating and food preparation.
What Does Being a Fossil Fuel Mean?
Like other fossil fuels, natural gas is a hydrocarbon, meaning it’s derived from sources underground where old plants and animals degraded over millennia. One of the more basic forms of hydrocarbons is methane, which contains one carbon and four hydrogen atoms. The places where organic materials biodegraded and pooled together are sometimes referred to as “pools,” and they’re extracted at this source.
Advantages of Natural Gas
Compared to the other fossil fuels, natural gas is at the top of the list in terms of being most environmentally friendly. Coal leaves behind soot and ash, and other fuels can leave behind an unsettling odor. The clean-burning nature of the gas means that, upon combustion (or use of the gas), the dissemination of byproducts is minimal.
Technological increases have also impacted the amount of byproducts released from natural gas usage. For example, filtering technologies have largely reduced the nitrogen oxide expelled during the natural gas burning process. Nitrogen oxide is a common pollutant that’s released by natural gas. When you look at your gas source, if you can see a blue flame, you know that the gas is burning well.
Ease of Storage and Use
Storing gas is much easier and safer than with competing forms of energy. It’s considered to be one of the most energy-efficient sources for meeting heating and electricity needs. There are multiple ways of storing it, such as in tanks both above and below ground. Both types of storage will most likely be in liquid form. Many homes around the United States have storage containers or tanks. Traditional storage can mean that it’s even kept at off-property locations where it’s in close enough proximity without being right next to the house or business. It can sometimes be stored in old oil or natural gas fields, where they can use the existing connections, gathering systems, and wells. It’s then piped via a gas line to customers’ homes and businesses.
Reliability of Gas
Because gas can be stored underground, it means that even during heavy weather and storms, it’s likely that your energy source will remain uninterrupted. Other sources, such as electricity, can be knocked out for hours or days at a time with severe storms. Occasionally, even electricity can be unavailable during cyclones and cold spells, so knowing that you have a reliable source of energy with which to heat your home or business can make all the difference.
Cost Advantages Outweigh Other Fossil Fuel Sources
There have been numerous ups and downs over the last few decades with regard to oil. The price of a barrel has risen and dipped and has proven itself unstable for the national market. The price of natural gas, however, has predominantly remained constant, and that’s a large benefit to those who opt to use it. A clear cost comparison of this was when gasoline jumped up to more than $4 a gallon, natural gas prices remained closer to the $2 mark.
Some say that technology is always working for us, and that can even be seen in the realm of gas. One gas supplier was even able to help switch trucking company diesel consumption to natural gas.
The Gas Supply Is Still Quite Large
Some of the recent studies conducted have shed light on the gas reserves in the US. The remaining supply of gas has been quoted at something like more than 100 years’ worth of supply still available. Again, that’s just the US. There are still more undiscovered reserves and this assurance of longevity availability can help you make the choice to switch to natural gas. Also, it is quite a convenient source of energy since you can find companies with ties to the small towns where propane heats and fuels homes and local businesses. For instance, if you need propane gas for your home in Texas, all you have to do is search for a Texas propane company and get it delivered at your convenience.
Decreasing Our Reliance on Foreign Energy
Natural gas is something that we have at our fingertips and can almost readily use. This is a huge advantage because we’re not held to “business as usual” with foreign countries and their commodity markets. With self-reliance, we’re enabled and empowered to make the energy choices that meet our current and foreseeable energy needs.
Entek knows the advantages of gas heating, and we’re here to answer any lingering questions you have. Discover for yourself the benefits of gas heating and get connected with them today.
