The American Gas Association and the Potential Gas Committee announced in July that the future supply of natural gas in the United States exceeds 3,100 trillion cubic feet and continues to increase. Those hydrocarbons have been below our feet for millions of years, and our industry has been extracting, transporting and delivering this clean energy source to homes and businesses for decades. Our rich and storied history is a foundation that we are constantly building upon as natural gas continues to provide an affordable and comfortable source for home heating, water heating, cooking and clothes drying. Our eyes remain fixed on the horizon: an energy future in which natural gas plays an increasingly crucial role and the benefits to our fellow citizens continue to amass.
One hundred and seventy-seven million Americans are taking advantage of this opportunity today even as efforts are underway to extend these benefits to millions more. Our constant goal is to improve the lives of our customers by advancing their energy use and reducing environmental impact. This determination drives our ceaseless innovation. We are always updating and improving the way we deliver energy and the ways our customers can utilize our product.
In this issue of American Gas, we highlight new natural gas technologies that could benefit residential and business customers. Stone Mountain Technologies Inc. in Tennessee makes thermal-driven heat pumps fueled by natural gas, which provide hot water and space heating simultaneously and, according to the company, are designed to cut utility bills by 30 to 50 percent. This breakthrough could make homes and businesses more comfortable and more affordable, with less environmental impact. Texas-based M-Trigen has developed PowerAire, a unit capable of supplying natural gas-fueled heating, cooling and electricity. PowerAire can supply a building’s daily heating and cooling needs or simply function as a backup generator in the event of an electricity outage. Depending on an area’s specific electric costs, M-Trigen believes that its product could help consumers save 30 to 70 percent on their electric bill. Considering that natural gas has helped American businesses save $76 billion since 2009, imagine what can be achieved in the coming decades when these new technologies and many others in development are fully deployed.
We proudly carry the mantle of innovation, but our license to operate in our communities is our commitment to safety, and here, too, we are driving advancements. Our cover story this month focuses on Pipeline Safety Management Systems, a valuable tool to help enhance the corporate culture that elevates safety and maintains it as the top priority for natural gas utilities. Herein we have chronicled how several AGA members have incorporated 2015’s American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practices 1173 as a road map for continued safety improvements that go above and beyond current requirements.
This work often goes unnoticed and certainly unheralded, but all those close to our industry know that this focus on safety is at the core of what we do. We are glad to be able to feature these examples as part of our ongoing mission to share the most effective practices and help continue to raise the level of safety for our entire industry.
Natural gas utilities have always evolved to meet our customers’ needs—lifting up the communities where we operate and contributing to the greater prosperity of our nation. We seek new horizons by pushing the boundaries of both technology and human endeavor. AGA members will play a leadership role in our energy future because our abundance of natural gas is delivered with this progressive spirit.
President and CEO