Conservation, Improved Efficiency: Sensible Actions to Help Meet Natural Gas Demand

Conservation and efficient natural gas use must be part of a national effort to balance natural gas supply and demand, especially in the short term. Conservation and improved efficiency alone won't solve this situation, but these actions must be crucial components of any solution. This is particularly important since it takes time to bring additional new supplies to market. The oil and natural gas industry is committed to continuing to reduce energy consumption in its operations. Likewise, consumers can do their part to use energy more wisely.

Here are a few steps you can take to make your home more energy-efficient, thereby helping to reduce both your heating and cooling bills.

Doors and windows

Check for leaks and drafts and add weather stripping as needed.
Install curtains on windows.

Furnaces and water heaters

Tune up existing furnaces.
Clean filters on forced-air furnaces.
Wrap the hot water heater in an insulating jacket.
If buying a new furnace, do not get one larger than you need.
Replace inefficient furnaces and water heaters with new high-efficiency models.

Insulation

Insulate older uninsulated homes.
If your home already has some insulation, consider increasing the amount of insulation in the attic and/or floors over a basement or crawlspace.

Miscellaneous

Conduct an "energy audit" of your home to evaluate your heating system's efficiency and determine where heat loss may be occurring. Many fuel dealers and utility providers offer these audits as a free service.
You can also perform your own home energy audit on the Internet, and find other useful tips, by visiting the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Savers Tips web site and following the instructions found there.
Install low-flow showerheads.
Install a thermostat that will automatically lower temperatures when rooms are unoccupied.
Use ceiling fans to circulate air in the house, keeping the air mixed.
Seal flues in unused fireplaces.
Lower income customers may be able to get financial aid to help in paying heating bills from a federal program called LIHEAP, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which gives money to state governments to help pay part of those bills for households that qualify, as well as for home weatherization. Customers may contact their state energy office for more information.

For years the oil and natural gas industry has been aggressively pursuing energy and resource conservation. Companies make these investments to reduce costs, which make them more competitive in a business environment, and to provide energy to consumers at affordable prices.

Here are some of the actions the oil and natural gas industry takes:

Turns waste heat into useful electricity using a process known as cogeneration.
Invests in more energy-efficient lighting, equipment, production processes, and energy generation facilities.
Participates in EPA's Green Lights, Energy Star and Natural Gas Star voluntary programs to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gases. These voluntary programs have exceeded EPA expectations for efficiency improvements.
Invests heavily in technologies that reduce the loss of oil, natural gas, and petroleum products through process losses, leaks and spills. This includes improved valves, vapor recovery units, double-hulled tankers, improved underground storage tanks at gasoline stations, and improved corrosion prevention technologies, to name a few.
Has developed more efficient refining operations and uses computers to improve the efficiency of these operations.
Uses advanced technology such as directional drilling, horizontal wells, and 3D seismic to reduce the number of wells drilled. Uses enhanced oil and natural gas recovery techniques, such as CO2 injection, to produce more from existing fields.