Natural Gas - Users
Users of natural gas are often classified into three categories - residential, commercial, and industrial.
Residential: We require energy on a constant basis to heat our water, cook our food, warm our homes, and generate our electricity. Natural gas is one of the least expensive forms of energy available to residential consumers. The most common use for natural gas around the home is for furnaces and hot water tanks. Natural gas can also be used to operate various household appliances, including stoves, clothes dryers, fireplaces, and barbecues. Through the use of natural gas, we can be sure our homes are operating efficiently, safely and economically.
Commercial: Schools, office buildings, hotels, restaurants and many other commercial enterprises use natural gas. As with residences, these enterprises use the gas mainly for heating, cooling, and cooking. Large commercial enterprises are also beginning to use natural gas for on-site electricity generation as an economical alternative to purchasing electricity off-site.
Industrial: About 75 per cent of the natural gas consumed in is used by the industrial sector (including electricity generation). It has numerous uses in the petroleum refining, metal, chemical, plastic, food processing, glass and paper industries. The ingredients for plastic, anti-freeze, fertilizer, and fabric products are formed through the use of natural gas by-products. The fact that natural gas is one of the cleanest, cheapest, and most efficient sources of energy makes it easy to see why it is so commonly used.