Natural gas appliances save money, reduce emissions, study finds

On Tuesday, a report from the American Gas Association (AGA) found that direct natural gas use for home heating saves money and lowers emissions for consumers.

The report, Building for Efficiency: home Appliance Cost and Emissions Comparison, compared the cost and greenhouse gas emissions of heating appliances in new construction homes. Gas appliances often have the lowest cost and the lowest emissions, the study found.

“This report backs up what AGA has been saying for years – natural gas and innovative technologies like RNG are critical to delivering efficient, reliable and cost-effective energy to homes now and in the future,” AGA president and CEO Karen Harbert said. “It shows the math behind appliance choices in America and demonstrates that builders and homeowners are choosing high-efficiency gas appliances where they can and that those choices are also leading to reduced greenhouse gas emissions and energy cost savings.”

Based on publicly available data, including information from the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Cambium Database, the report takes into consideration factors affecting home energy performance like building design, heating, ventilation and cooling systems, AGA said. The study also examined existing and emerging home appliance options like natural gas heat pumps and the impact of renewable natural gas.

The report found that homeowners who opt to use natural gas in a baseline household can expect to save $1,132 per year compared to those who chose all-electric equivalents, and those who opt for advanced natural gas furnaces will save an additional $492 annually. The study also found that a typical electric household spends $1,403 more per year on heating than a home equipped with a natural gas heat pump.

And the study found that natural gas appliances cut greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent over 15 years compared to all-electric households, and can meet or exceed emissions reductions from homes with a cold climate heat pump.

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