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Amazing technological advancements have enabled us to extract natural gas from sources we never dreamed possible ten years ago. We now have more than 100 years’ worth of clean natural gas in the United States. This abundance has kept the cost of natural gas low and stable for several years, and it is expected to stay that way for decades into the future.

Using Natural Gas

The low price of natural gas and its ability to replace coal for electricity generation has been widely touted for its environmental impact, but there is more good news. 177 million Americans have natural gas delivered directly to their homes for heating, water heating, cooking and clothes drying. More homes and businesses use natural gas today than ever before and the numbers continue to increase. In fact, one third of the natural gas used nationwide goes to the residential and commercial sector.

Consumers are benefitting from this abundance the affordable and stable prices it has created. The two-year average cost of an individual household natural gas bill has dropped about $250 since 2007. Households that use natural gas for heating, water heating, cooking and clothes drying spend an average of $693 less per year than homes using electricity for those applications. That is more than the cost of a brand new iPhone 6s.

Safety as a Core Value

Customer growth has required additions to distribution pipeline infrastructure in order to ensure reliable service. Safety is our core value and the top priority for natural gas utilities and every utility has a program to upgrade pipelines that are no longer fit for service. This ongoing modernization of our infrastructure creates good paying jobs in our communities.

Also, our environment is benefitting from greater use of this domestic fuel directly in homes and businesses. A household with natural gas versus all-electric appliances produces 37 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions.

As you can see, greater use of natural gas can help us achieve our national goals of boosting our economy, enhancing our security and improving our environment.

For more information about AGA, visit: aga.org

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