HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT MEASUREMENT TOOL

Indicator ES.1.a Natural gas use

Descriptive Title: Residential natural gas usage per capita

Geographic Unit of Analysis: Zip code

Download PDF map.

Why Is This An Indicator Of Health and Sustainability?

Lower natural gas use in buildings results in the reduced combustion of fossil fuels. Natural gas combustion produces both carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. The extraction of natural gas can also have significant impacts on the environment by destroying habitat for animals and plants.  Energy efficient buildings reduce natural gas use, which include less particulates and pollutants that can improve health and outdoor air quality. The combustion of natural gas also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and to changes in the earth's carbon cycle and climate. On a carbon-equivalent basis, energy-related carbon dioxide emissions accounted for 81%  of U.S. anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions in 2010.^a

Climate change threatens health through the potential of more extreme weather events, increased air pollution, limitations on food production, increased water-borne and food-borne illnesses, and increased infectious disease vectors. For the major fossil fuels, the amounts of carbon dioxide produced for each billion Btu (British thermal units) of heat energy extracted are: 208,000 pounds for coal, 164,000 pounds for petroleum products, and 117,000 pounds for natural gas. Because natural gas is non-renewable and has relatively better environmental performance as a fuel, it will be important to conserve natural gas for the future.^b

The benefits of energy efficiency go beyond environmental sustainability. Energy efficiency can have economic benefits for both residents and property managers by lowering utility bills. Furthermore, energy efficient design and construction techniques can contribute to the long term affordability of housing through lowered energy costs.

Interpretation and Geographic Equity Analysis

The above map illustrates disaggregated residential (single family and multi-family) natural gas use by zip code for 2010. Table 1 represents total per capita natural gas use for each zip code and lists the planning neighborhoods within each zip code. Residential natural gas use per capita is highest in the northern zip codes of San Francisco as well as the two more centrally located zip codes, 94114 and 94127. Neighborhoods within these zip codes include:

• Russian Hill
• Nob Hill
• Downtown Civic Center
• Pacific Heights
• Western Addition
• Marina
• Presidio
• Catro/Upper Market
• Noe Valley
• Twin peeks
• West of Twin Peaks
• Ocean View
• Outer Mission

Table 2 illustrates average natural gas usage per single family  and multi-family home, the total usage and the residential gas emissions in San Francisco from 2005-2010 . Table 3 shows average natural gas use by sector. In 2010, 53% of the natural gas is used for residential purposes while non-residential use accounts for 47%.

There is substantial variation amongst the San Francisco zip codes with regard to energy usage. Many factors influence energy usage, such as climate, age of housing, housing density, perceived safety, building design, appliances, and equipment, and conservation practices. The South East sector of San Francisco, due to its distance from the ocean fog and breeze, receives more natural sunlight, potentially decreasing its use of heaters and in-turn decreasing its energy usage. In recent years, there has been more development in the South East sector of San Francisco, which has resulted in new dense residential housing. Dense multifamily units, require less energy than single family detached housing. Additionally, the age of housing has been directly associated with energy efficiency--the older the home the more inefficient the use of energy.

Perceived safety may also influence how often residents open windows and doors to regulate the indoor temperature. If an area is perceived as unsafe, one may not leave windows and doors open, relying more on indoor appliances to regulate temperature, increasing their energy usage.

Methods

Natural gas use by zip code was provided by Pacific Gas & Electric Tableau worksheets. “Total multi-family use” and “total single family use” were aggregated to get “Total Use.” ”Total use” was the divided by the estimated population within each zip code to get the “Total Use per Capita.” The “Total Use per Capita” data was then mapped by zip code using ArcGIS software.

Average natural gas usage is calculated by dividing the number of normalized customer months in the year. Customer months are the number of months in a year that a customer has an active account. Normalized means full month and partial month billing periods were taking into consideration. By using this methodology the average value represents a more accurate monthly usage average for the group as a whole. Please note, this methodology is different from calculating residential per capita natural gas use and the figures are not comparable.

Limitations

To protect confidentiality, data is not reported where one single family or multi-family dwelling accounts for more than 85% of the demand in that zip code. Therefore, if one single or multi-family account represents 85% of the load in a zip code, zip code location is not given and natural gas use is not accounted for in this map.

For this analysis, using the a larger geographic reference, such as zip code, compared to neighborhood or census tract makes a more detailed analysis of natural gas use in San Francisco difficult. 

Data Source

Natural gas usage by zip code provided by Pacific Gas & Electric Company, August 2011.

http://www.thehdmt.org/etc/Geographic_Units_of_Analysis.pdf

http://www.thehdmt.org/data_map_methods.php