Providing natural gas service is the foundation of WGL. WGL started as a natural gas company, chartered by Congress is 1848 to light the Capitol. Within a year, the company was lighting Pennsylvania Avenue and the White House. Today Washington Gas, the utility subsidiary of WGL, provides natural gas service to over 1.1 million customers in the DC Metro Area. Furthermore, WGL Energy offers residential and commercial customers in DC, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania the option to purchase natural gas along with electricity and green energy products, too.
Natural gas is a clean and efficient way for heating, cooling and powering our built environment. It is the cleanest burning fossil fuel, with 45 percent less carbon dioxide emissions than electricity generated from coal and 30 percent less than fuel oil. As a result of ongoing energy efficiency improvements, a gas-fueled home uses nearly 50 percent less energy than it did in 1970, and our customers continue to reduce their usage by 1-2 percent per annum. More than 93 percent of the natural gas used in the U.S. is domestically produced while the other 7 percent is produced by Canada.
