Natural Gas Innovations: The Instant Water Heater
The instant water heater, also known as the tankless water heater, is a relatively new innovation in natural gas products. It offers a new and more efficient way of providing hot water for a household without the standard storage tank. As fuel prices for oil and gas, as well as everything else, continue to increase, new, more efficient technologies become even more valuable.
The instant water heater works by activating only when the hot water is turned on. Cold water is passed through gas powered heating elements before it is delivered warm to the faucet. This configuration is more efficient than oil powered heating, eliminating the need to store the hot water in a large tank. This saves both space and energy, since hot water is only produced when it is needed. In addition, there is no concern about heat loss through the sides of the tank. There is also no need to wait for a tank to fill when planning to run large amounts of hot water, since the heating is instantaneous.
A single instant water heater can serve multiple faucets, but there are limits to the amount of hot water it can produce at one time. The average instant water heater can manage from 2 to 5 gallons in a minute, which may limit multiple jobs that require warm water. A dishwasher and a laundry machine running at the same time may be too much for a single heater. However, it is possible to install multiple instant water heaters or a single, higher capacity heater for the entire house. It is be a good idea to install a small instant heater where higher hot water flow is common, such as by the dishwasher or in the bathroom.
The energy savings from an instant hot water heater can be significant. A household can increase energy efficiency from 8% to as high as 50%, depending on the amount of household water usage. Lower hot water usage will result in greater savings. This improved energy conservation both helps to preserve environmental resources and lowers monthly electric bills. This method greatly decreases energy bills when the family is away from home as well, since the heater stops producing hot water when it is no longer needed.
Instant water heaters tend to be quite durable, lasting for five to ten years longer than standard water heaters. With the energy saving benefits, this can lead to significant savings over the life span of the heater, creating an interesting alternative to traditional water heaters.
Natural Gas Vehicles Hold The Keys To The Future
The use of natural gas to fuel cars is becoming more and more popular around the world and is a quickly rising star in the oil and gas industry. Cars with these sorts of engines are becoming very common in places like Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil and Iran, and there is a movement in the United states towards adopting these sorts of vehicles to help as a stepping stone in the quest for energy independence.
New drilling technologies have caused experts to revise their estimates of America’s natural gas reserves. It is now possible to extract natural gas from areas in the ocean that were previously inaccessible, and various technologies have made the harvesting of natural gas more efficient and economically feasible. This, along with international pressures, has helped foster a movement towards natural gas as a halfway compromise to fuel our vehicles while we wait for other technologyies to mature.
There are two different kinds of natural gas vehicles, liquid natural gas, and compressed natural gas. Most vehicles that rely on this technology use compressed natural gas, or CNG for short. CNG is stored in tanks that are then connected to the vehicle in special compartments, usually in the trunk of the car, or in a truck’s bed. Although these take up some room, that’s one of the few drawbacks to this new technology.
The growing popularity of natural gas as an alternative fuel source is due in part to the easy process of converting normal gasoline and oil vehicles to run on CNG. It also burns much cleaner than gasoline, and it’s less expensive. The EPA has very strict rules, currently making it harder to buy inexpensive conversion kits in the United States. Right now, there is only one car sold in America that runs on natural gas. It is the Honda GX. Finding refueling stations has become much easier, however, especially in the Midwest and West Coast portions of the country.
The recent movement towards more environmentally-friendly policies has boosted the interest in CNG vehicles, including tax credits that can help offset the expense of conversions. As environmental pressures grow, it is anticipated that these sorts of incentives may become more common and lead to faster adoption. The future of natural gas vehicles is still unclear, but among the crowd of alternative fuels vying to take over for gasoline, it’s one of the top contenders, and its implementation is easier and more immediately practical than many rival fuels, which may take years to become viable.
Oil And Gas: Moving in Tandem
When former President Bill Clinton was in office, someone asked him what he thought of oil being at $35 per barrel. His response was that it was too high and that foreign oil investors needed to do something about it. Needless to say, the only thing that has changed is the price per barrel.
Group Efforts
It was only in the recent summer of 2008 that we saw oil prices almost reach $150 per barrel. Gas prices increased as well. Oil and gas often move together, unless distribution lines are affected. The solution was put in the hands of the American people. They became more energy conscious which has, in turn, had a positive effect on society and the environment. People are carpooling, riding their bicycles, walking and trying to figure out alternatives conserve fuel. Rather than individuals going out and doing their own thing, Americans spend more time together, making fewer trips, consuming less fuel and have become energy-saving aficionados.
Industry Adjustments
The question now becomes, where do we go from here? As new methods of refining fuel in the United States come forward, the natural resources close to home can be used, which lowers the need for dependency on foreign oil companies. Industry leaders have taken on the task of becoming more productive, finding sources that were previously unknown or too difficult to harvest. The pumping and refining process has become much more efficient which, in turn, has increased the availability of domestic oil. Through the steady efforts of American oil and gas companies, the country and its consumers will be less dependent on foreign oil and more thoughtful of their use of energy.
Through constant research and exploration, new sources of oil and gas are being discovered. Sites beyond the land borders are being uncovered. Water-based deposits are now being harvested for more oil, accounting for the vast increase in energy sources. As new and creative means of extracting natural resources from the earth’s floor come into being, there is hope for the future.
People will need to continue to work together to conserve energy, while the oil and gas industry must continue its efforts as well to stem the increase in usage without the corresponding increase in domestic production.
Until that time comes, one thing is for sure, oil and gas will continue to move in tandem.
