USEs

At home:

Natural gas is supplied to homes, where it is used for such purposes as cooking in natural gas-powered ranges and/or ovens, natural gas-heated clothes dryers, heating/cooling and central heating. Home or other building heating may include boilers, furnaces, and water heaters. CNG is used in rural homes without connections to piped-in public utility services, or with portable grills. However, due to CNG being less economical than LPG, LPG (Propane) is the dominant source of rural gas.

These are some of the gas appliances we can find in the market:

 

Cooker

Washing machine

Drier

Mixed Boiler (heating and hot water)

Air conditioning

Oven

Dishwasher

Fridge

Barbecue

 

Gas is a clean, efficient, cheap solution for energy requirements at home. Its properties make it the ideal energy for heating, hot water and cooking.

As it is so easy and quick to regulate, it will help you improve your quality of life at home. Its great calorific power allows you to reach the ideal temperature very quickly, saving a lot of energy.

Gas is considered to be one of the cleanest energies as it does not contain impurities or sulphur, and it does not let out ashes or bad smell.

Although gas has to be manipulated following a strict procedure to guarantee security, gas is a very safe source of energy.

 

 Agriculture:

Gas is particularly useful for agriculture as it is ecological, versatile and easy to carry.

Being a precise, clean energy, it is most appropriate for nurseries, seedbeds and horticulture in general. It does not dry the atmosphere or pollute, keeping the right humidity and temperature for each crop.

Gas is also a solution for fruit, cereal and ham dryers due to the lack of smoke and smell, and also very useful in the breeding of pigs and poultry: you can easily direct the heat source and control both temperature and heat in ventilated areas without interruptions or loss.

 

Industry:

 

The qualities mentioned above (high calorific power, energy and time saving, versatility, etc) make gas suitable for many types of industry like:

 

·                     Metal Industry: casting, flame cutting, preparation of moulds, zinc, etc..

·                     Ceramic industry: treatment of clays, drying and baking of products

·                     Glass Industry: heating furnaces, rolling, melting, grinding, welding, etc..

·                     Textiles: printing and ink drying, textile finishing, etc..

·                     Marble Industry: flaming and finishing

·                     Food industry: bakery and pastry industry

 

In all areas, but mainly in industries, a new generation of high performance equipment is being introduced. This new equipment increases its energy efficiency up to 90%. The condensing boiler is an example: it retrieves the latent heat in water vapour contained in the combustion gases of conventional boilers, so that the energy consumption is reduced up to 40%. Combined with burners with low emissions of NOx, pollution from the industrial combustion is greatly reduced.

 

Hotel trade and other services:

Gas is also used in:

·         Hotels

·         Swimming pools

·         Restaurants

·         Schools

·         Residences and homes

·         Hospitals

·         Sports facilities

·         Spas etc.

 

 

Transport:

Autogas is the number one alternative energy for cars, with over 5 million users. It is environmentally friendly and saves money since it is less polluting and prolongs the life of your engine. Gas allows you to make 50% more kilometres, compared to petrol, and up to 37% more than with diesel. It is liquid when stored, but it turns to gas when entering the cylinder, so the combustion is more efficient than that of petrol or diesel. Like any other fuel, it is sold by the litre in gas stations.

Some buses in Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, Sevilla o Valencia are already using this energy for urban transport, which has decreased the emission of polluting gases in the city.

 

 

How to save energy when using gas

 

Heating:

 

• Install a room thermostat if you do not have one. The boiler will just turn on when the temperature is

  below that you want in the house.

• If you already have a room thermostat, set the boiler thermostat at the highest and regulate the room

  thermostat to get a comfort temperature at home (around 21ΊC).

• Do not cover radiators with furniture, curtains, panels…

• Close doors and windows well and use insulating materials to keep the heat in.

• Let the sun in.

• Do not use radiators to dry clothes.

• If you do not turn off the heater at night, lower the room thermostat to 15ΊC.

 

To avoid an overconsumption of gas, it is advisable to control the temperature in the different parts of the house. Do not wear a T-shirt in winter or a pullover in summer: we should bear in mind that if we lower the room temperature by 1ΊC, we save 8% of energy!

 

Here is a table with the recommended temperatures

 

Room

Temp.  (ΊC)

Dining and sitting room

20

Bedroom

18

Kitchen

18

Corridors

15

Bathroom

22

 

Cooker:

 

• The flame should not stick out of pots and pans.

• Cover pots and pans, as the cooking is faster.

• Keep the hobs clean. A dirty hob may consume up to 10% more.

 

Hot water:

 

• The temperature of water should not be too hot. Adjust the thermostat to the right temperature: if water

   is too hot, you will have to add cold water and you will have consumed gas and water unnecessarily.

• Check your heater once a year. If it is badly adjusted, you may have an overconsumption of a 15%

 

Security

 

Recommendations of use, maintenance and security

 

• All appliances must show the UE certification

• Close the stopcocks when you are not using the gas appliances.

• Do not leave the house while pots and pans are on the stove.

• Do not overfill pots and pans when cooking. They may overflow and extinguish the flame, thus causing a leak..

• A good combustion has a stable, blue flame which does not smudge pots. Otherwise, call the technical assistance.

• Do not obstruct ventilation grids in the areas with gas appliances. Remember to install ventilation grids if you glass a balcony.

• Check the flexible tube periodically and replace it if it is in bad condition, and always before the  

   expiration date.

• The flexible tube should not be in contact with hot surfaces, as the heat may damage it and cause a leak.

• Keep the gas evacuation ducts clean.

• If your boiler has bad combustion, contact technical assistance so that it is fixed. It is a good idea to contract a maintenance service so that your boiler is revised every year.

 

Obligations

 

According to the legislation, the individual gas installation includes the pipes and appliances between the user’s general stopcock (excluded) and the stopcocks connected to the gas appliances (included). They are the user’s property and he is responsible for its maintenance, exploitation and good use.

• The law requires the gas company to inspect and revise the installation periodically. If you notice a problem in your installation, contact the company so that it fixes it.

• The user may only open or close the stopcocks. Any other manipulation must be done by an authorised gas installer.

 

What to do if an appliance does not work well

 

• Do not use the appliance

• Close the clock stop

• Ventilate the area

• Call for technical assistance

 

What to do if you smell of gas

 

• Do not switch on the lights or electrical items.

• Do not smoke or light a match/lighter.

• Open doors and windows to ventilate the room.

• Check if there is a leak by using soapy water, never a flame.

• Make sure that all stopcocks are closed, and do not open them until the installation has been revised and, if necessary, repaired.

 

What to do in case of fire

 

• Call the fire brigade and tell them you have gas.

• If there is a gas leak and it catches fire, do not extinguish it.

• Close all stopcocks, providing that you do not take risks to do so.

• Evacuate the area, flat or building.