Natural Gas Is a Major Energy Source for the United States
About 25% of energy used in the United States came from natural gas in 2012. The United States used 25.46 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas in 2012.
How Natural Gas Is Used
Natural gas is used to produce steel, glass, paper, clothing, brick, electricity, and as an essential raw material for many common products. Some products that use natural gas as a raw material are: paints, fertilizer, plastics, antifreeze, dyes, photographic film, medicines, and explosives.
Slightly more than half of the homes in the United States use natural gas as their main heating fuel. Natural gas is also used in homes to fuel stoves, water heaters, clothes dryers, and other household appliances.
The major consumers of natural gas in the United States in 2012 included:
- Electric power sector — 9.1 trillion cubic feet (Tcf)
- Industrial sector —7.1 Tcf
- Residential sector — 4.2 Tcf
- Commercial sector —2.9 Tcf
Where Natural Gas Is Used
Natural gas is used throughout the United States, but the top natural gas consuming states in 2011 were:
- Texas
- California
- Louisiana
- Florida
- New York
- Illinois