This week in the City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) family and kid-friendly newsletter edition, we look at a nonrenewable resource that we commonly use: natural gas. We’ll learn about what natural gas is, how we get it from the earth, and where we use it around the house. Most importantly, we’ll give you ideas on how your family can reduce the amount of natural gas you use at your home!

Learn: What is Natural Gas?

Natural gas is a fossil fuel, which means it was formed from the remains of ancient animals and plants that were buried & compressed for millions of years. Fossil fuels are nonrenewable resources, meaning that we will one day run out of them. Other fossil fuels that humans use include petroleum and coal. Unlike petroleum and coal, natural gas is like air - it is a mixture of gases you can’t see, smell, or taste.

As it was formed, natural gas was trapped in underground rocks much like a sponge traps water in pockets. The type of rock that natural gas gets trapped in is called sedimentary rock. To get natural gas today, humans must first find a pocket of natural gas deep below the earth’s surface and then drill a well into the pocket. Some wells are over a mile deep! Once the well is dug, natural gas is piped from the well to machines that clean it and remove any water. Because natural gas can easily explode, an odor like that of rotten eggs is added to the gas so that leaks can be detected.

How Do We Use Natural Gas?

Natural gas is used in most homes to create heat. It may be used to warm our homes in the winter, cook over a flame, and heat water for showers, washing dishes, and laundry. In many homes, all these activities are accomplished by burning natural gas. 

Ready to Save More Natural Gas?

Here are some other ways your family can reduce the amount of natural gas used at home:

• Use cold or cooler water for washing dishes, doing laundry, and showering, whenever possible.
• Invest in quality insulation and weatherproofing for your home. Insulation can be added to your attic or inside the walls of your house to keep warm air inside in the winter and cool air inside in the summer.
• Install a “smart thermostat” so your family can program the heating and cooling in your house to make the temperature just right.
• Switch to electric appliances whenever possible.
• Contact CPAU’s Home Efficiency Genie at (650) 713-3411 or advisor@efficiencygenie.com to find out how else your family can save money by reducing the amount of natural gas used in your home.

Why should we use less natural gas?

In addition to the limited supply of natural gas, burning natural gas produces carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas. On top of that, producing and transporting natural gas produces methane, which is also a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide. Some natural gas leaks into the atmosphere even when we are very careful about pumping it out of the ground and transporting it to homes. Greenhouse gases trap and store heat in the atmosphere, which is a large contributor to global climate change. If we want to preserve the earth for future generations, we must think about the choices we make today which have an impact on the health of our planet. The type of energy we use and the way we use it can make a big difference. 

Stay tuned for our next issue, where we'll learn about electricity!