Offsetting efficiency

Journal Article · Tue Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1995 · American Gas

OSTI ID:99586

Katz, M

Whichever way the local distribution company (LDC) tries to convert residential customers to gas or expand their use of it, the process itself has become essential for the natural gas industry. The amount of gas used by each residential customer has been decreasing for 25 years -- since the energy crisis of the early 1970s. It`s a direct result of better-insulated homes and more-efficient gas appliances, and that trend is continuing. So, LDCs have a choice of either finding new users and uses for gas, or recognizing that their throughput per customer is going to continue declining. The paper discusses strategies that several gas utilities are using to increase the number of gas appliances in the customer`s homes. These and other strategies keep the gas industry optimistic about the future of the residential market: A.G.A. has projected that by 2010 demand will expand, from 1994`s 5.1 quadrillion Btu (quads) to 5.7 quads, even with continued improvements in appliance efficiency. That estimate, however, will depend on the industry-s utilities and whether they keep converting, proselytizing, persuading and influencing customers to use more natural gas.

• OSTI ID: 99586
• Journal Information: American Gas, Journal Name: American Gas Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 77; ISSN AMGLEH; ISSN 1043-0652
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
ECONOMICS
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
FUEL CONSUMPTION
GAS APPLIANCES
GAS UTILITIES
MARKETING
NATURAL GAS