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. Natural gas is also used to make electricity. Just as the heat energy in coal is used to make electricity, so can the heat energy in natural gas. Many people in the energy industry believe natural gas will play a bigger role in electricity production as the demand for electricity increases in the future. Natural gas power plants are cleaner than coal plants and can be brought on-line very quickly.