U.S. Homes, Businesses Get Natural Gas Primarily From Local Distribution Companies
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Natural Gas Annual Respondent Query System, 2,022 natural gas delivery companies delivered natural gas to end-use customers in the United States in 2018.
A delivery company is defined as any entity that delivers natural gas directly to end users.
These statistics are important to heating fuel dealers because they help provide a clearer picture of their competitors in the residential and commercial heating market.
In 2018, local distribution companies (LDCs) primarily served homes and businesses, delivering approximately 90 percent, or 22 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), of end-use natural gas to the residential and commercial sectors.
Pipeline companies deliver the highest volume of natural gas to end-use consumers in the United States, predominately to electric power and industrial customers.
Natural gas distributors operated by municipalities, referred to here as municipal companies, are the most common type of natural gas distributor in the United States, but they deliver relatively small volumes of end-use natural gas.
The full EIA report can be downloaded here: Residential and Commercial Natural Gas Deliveries.