Today, natural gas is used in many homes across the globe. In addition to this, 78 percent of the food industry, 73 percent of accommodation facilities, 51 percent of hospitals, 59 percent of business offices, and 58 percent of retail buildings use this natural fossil fuel. It has become an essential necessity to many manufacturers, not only to supply them power, but also as a crucial aspect for many products that we use daily such as, clothing, plastics, fertilizers, sports equipment, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, computers, and auto parts. This natural fossil fuel supports our economy.
With advancements in technologies, we are creating new uses for energy. Technological innovations have allowed for a substantial amount of new energy resources in the U.S. The industry of natural gas supplies nearly 4 million jobs and adds more than 385 billion dollars to support the national economy. America is going strong with this natural fuel to go into the next century, with the coal bed methane natural fuel found throughout the West, to the shale fuel formations along the Northeast's Appalachian Basin, to the deep water of the Gulf of Mexico, and to the enormous possibilities of the Arctic and other offshore resources.
How is natural gas made? It is composed of just two substances, carbon and hydrogen. It is apart of the family of chemicals known as hydrocarbons, which also include oil and gasoline. This natural fossil fuel comes out of the earth as a gas. When oil and natural gas was created, they would tend to move through tiny pores in the surrounding rock. Some oil and fossil fuels have escaped to the surface naturally. Other oil and fossil fuel deposits moved until they were caught under waterproof layers of rock or clay and were trapped. Today, these trapped deposits of oil and fuel are where we get our oil and natural gas.
In the United States, natural gas is produced in 32 states. The top five states, including Texas, Wyoming, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Louisiana, produce around 65 percent of the total amount of natural fossil fuel. All in all, the U.S. produces about a fourth of the world's production of this fossil fuel each year. At the rate we are using this natural fossil fuel today, the United States has around 30 to 50 years of natural gas, if individuals are willing to pay for the more gas they use, then it could be around for another 200 years.
Efficient use of natural fuel and conservation is a crucial part of our national approach to use natural gas wisely and control increase in demand. This is extremely important in the short term because it takes a while to bring additional new supplies to the market. Just as the fossil fuel industry is committed to ongoing reduction in energy consumption in its operations, consumers need to do their share to use energy more efficiently.
There are several steps individuals can take to reduce energy costs. First, check for drafty windows and doors and add weather stripping to seal any leaks. Also, consider installing blinds and curtains to insulate the windows. Next, tune up your water heater and furnace for better efficiency. If the water heater and furnace are old and inefficient, replace them with high energy efficiency models. Third, add insulation to your home. If your home already has some insulation, consider increasing that amount in the attic and/or floors over a basement or crawlspace, this will help with heat and cooling loss.
Terry Mickelson works with Accent Energy, a different kind of energy company. New York Natural Gas provides the best value for your energy dollar. For more information about Accent Energy visit
http://www.accentenergy.com/ or call 800.928.7775.
