Natural gas was featured in 69% of single-family homes completedin 1997, continuing its dominance of the home-heating market,according to the American Gas Association’s (AGA) “1997 ResidentialNatural Gas Market Survey.

“For more than 10 years, natural gas has steadily increased itsshare of the space-heating market in single-family homes becausemore and more consumers want the comfort and efficiency of gasheat,” said AGA CEO David Parker. The natural gas share of newhomes exceeded the electric share in all regions, he noted.

Gas has garnered 69% of space heating in new single-family homesfor the past two years, according to AGA. In contrast, thecomparable electric share remained at 26%. A total of 55 millionhouseholds, or 54% of the U.S. housing stock, use natural gas,according to AGA, and almost all (more than 90%) of these customersuse gas to heat their homes.

New construction accounted for 82% of the total gashouse-heating unit additions in 1997; conversions from otherheating fuels to gas accounted for the remaining 18%, the surveysaid. Of the 92,441 reported conversions from other fuels, 31%(28,988) were from heating oil; 29% (26,956) were from electricity;7% (6,072) were from liquid propane gas; and 6% (5,547) were fromother fuels, including coal and wood. For more than one-fourth ofthe conversions, respondents were not able to identify the previousenergy source.

The survey is based on information from the U.S. Bureau of theCensus and survey responses from 84 gas utilities, representing 53%of the nation’s residential customers.

©Copyright 1999 Intelligence Press Inc. All rights reserved. Thepreceding news report may not be republished or redistributed, inwhole or in part, in any form, without prior written consent ofIntelligence Press, Inc.