Monthly Archives: March 2013

Adam Cloch Heating Your Home with Natural Gas Can Help Save You Money

Posted on March 29, 2013 by | 1 Comment


AGA just released its estimate for how much a customer could potentially save when they choose natural gas appliances over other major fuel types for residential space and water heating needs.

Based on estimated representative average fuel unit costs published by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, AGA estimated the annual costs for natural gas furnaces and water heaters when compared to their propane, oil and electric counterparts.

Bottom line? When you choose a natural gas furnace, water heater or combination of the two, you can save anywhere from $300 to $1,200 per year.

These tables break it down for you by each appliance option. The analysis is based on a 2,072 square-foot house located in St. Louis, MO, and represents a 5,000 Heating Degree Location. For more detailed information on how these numbers were compiled, view AGA’s recent press release.

2013 Space Heating Annual Cost Summary
(Estimated Annual Operating Cost)

Heating Equipment   Type 5000 Heating Degree   Days
97% AFUE Gas Furnace $524
80% AFUE Gas Furnace $689
7.7 HSPF Electric Heat Pump $1,005
97% AFUE Propane Furnace $1,246
87% AFUE Oil Furnace $1,518
80% AFUE Propane Furnace $1,588
80% AFUE Oil Furnace $1,632
Electric Resistance Furnace $1,725

2013 Water Heating Annual Cost Summary
(Estimated Annual Operating Cost from Low to High)

Water Heater Type Annual Cost
50 Gallon Natural Gas (FHR = 74   gallons) $265
50 Gallon Electric (FHR = 67   gallons) $562n

2013 Space Heating with Water Heater Installations
(Estimated Annual Operating Cost from Low to High)

Space   Heating/ Water Heating Type Annual   Cost
Natural   Gas: 97% AFUE Furnace & Water Heater $789
Natural   Gas: 80% AFUE & Water Heater $954
Electric:   Heat Pump & Water Heater $1,567

Every day, America’s local natural gas utilities safely and reliably deliver savings like this to their more than 71 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across the country. By providing access to the nation’s most affordable, efficient and clean domestically-produced energy source, AGA’s member companies are helping to realize a secure economic and energy future for our country.

Posted in energy | 1 Comment

Adam Cloch Driving the Nation to a Secure Energy Future: The White House Gives a Boost to Natural Gas Vehicles

Posted on March 19, 2013 by | 1 Comment


The nation is searching for cleaner, cheaper, domestic and more secure fuel sources for transportation – and natural gas is a big part of the solution. Now, the White House is showing strong support for policies that grow the use of natural gas vehicles (NGVs) across the country.

On Friday, March 15, President Barack Obama stood in front of a row of alternative fuel vehicles, including a white Honda Civic Natural Gas Vehicle, at the Argonne National Laboratory and unveiled his plan for the Energy Security Trust.

“We can support scientists and engineers that are devising new ways to fuel our cars and trucks with new sources of clean energy – like advanced biofuels and natural gas – so drivers can one day go coast to coast without using a drop of oil,” the President said in his speech.

The proposed trust will expand alternative transportation fuels and shift American vehicles away from their reliance on foreign oil. The plan will provide $2 billion over 10 years, using revenue from federal oil and gas development, for research that focuses on developing cost-effective transportation alternatives, including domestically produced natural gas.

Obama NGV March 2013

President Obama speaks in front of a stage of alternative fuel vehicles, including a white Honda Civic Natural Gas Vehicle, at the Argonne National Laboratory on Friday, March 15, 2013. The 2012 Honda CNG Civic GX was named one of the Kelly Blue Book 10 Best Green Cars of 2012.

In a White House factsheet, President Obama commits to leveraging our domestic abundance of natural gas by working with the private sector to grow the use of natural gas in the nation’s trucking fleet. Among other items, the plan includes the following measures that support NGV growth:

  • Incentives for medium-and-heavy-duty trucks that run on natural gas or other alternative fuels.
  • Providing a credit for 50 percent of the incremental cost of a dedicated alternative-fuel truck for a five-year period.
  • Laboratories that use federal resources to develop different models for deploying advanced vehicles.

Kathryn Clay is the Executive Director of the Drive Natural Gas Initiative, a collaborative effort of natural gas utilities and producers to develop the use of clean, domestic, affordable natural gas as a transportation fuel.

“About two-thirds of U.S. oil consumption in the United States fuels the transportation sector, and over 70 percent of the oil we use is imported,” said Clay. “We have a nearly one hundred years supply of clean, abundant, domestic natural gas and it just makes sense to use that resource to fuel our cars, trucks and buses. The President’s remarks recognize the role that NGVs can play in boosting our national security, improving our environment and reducing fuel costs for our citizens.”

The American Gas Association  is thrilled to see the President voice his support for encouraging the growth of natural gas vehicles, which is already underway thanks to private sector investments to build fueling infrastructure across the country, encouraged by the low cost of natural gas.

Learn more about the Energy Security Trust in this White House Blog post, and view an infographic showing the role for NGVs in America’s secure energy future. You can also watch the full speech here.

 

Posted in CNG, environment, Natural Gas, people, vehicles | 1 Comment

Adam Cloch The Importance of Accurate Data

Posted on March 14, 2013 by | Comments Off on The Importance of Accurate Data


As the late Senator Patrick Moynihan said, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” The benefits of natural gas for our nation are numerous, but without accurate and well understood data regarding methane emissions, we are making decisions about our nation’s energy future in the dark.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released its annual GHG inventory public review draft, estimating that only 1.2 percent of produced natural gas is emitted to the atmosphere from wellhead to burner tip, and showing that leaks have been overestimated by more than 50 percent. Natural gas utilities invest billions of dollars each year on infrastructure to help ensure safe and reliable service. These continued investments will help decrease the level of emissions further.

Safe and reliable service is the natural gas utility industry’s business, and AGA is engaged with EPA, the Environmental Defense Fund and others to make sure we have the data we need to continue to safely and reliably serve the more than 177 million Americans who depend on this fuel for their energy needs. Researcher opinion and “snapshot measurements” are not enough. We must secure a common set of facts that allows for smart energy policy and sound decisions about our nation’s energy future.

Posted in energy, environment, Natural Gas, safety | Comments Off on The Importance of Accurate Data