Local gas companies use smaller pipes to carry gas the last few miles to homes and businesses. A gas meter measures the volume of gas a consumer uses. Just about everyone in the United States uses natural gas. Natural gas ranks number three in energy use, right after petroleum and coal. About 23 percent of the energy we use in the United States comes from natural gas.
Industry is the biggest consumer of natural gas, using it mainly to manufacture goods.
Industry also uses natural gas as an ingredient in fertilizer, photographic film, ink, glue, paint, plastics, laundry detergent, and insect repellents. Synthetic rubber and man-made fibers like nylon also could not be made without the chemicals derived from natural gas. Six in ten homes use natural gas for heating. Many homes also use gas water heaters, stoves, and clothes dryers. Like residences, commercial use of natural gas is mostly for heatingincluding stores, offices, schools, churches, and hospitals.