Methane is a diversely used organic compound.   The uses of methane can be divided into four main categories.  Home usage in stoves and other household appliances.  Industrial usage which range from heating boilers to producing methanol.  Energy production which uses methane to heat boilers that then in turn make generators produce electricity.  Lastly it is used commercialy, as a finished product for sale, by companies, for profit. The percentage of methane used in each category is illustrated in the graph at left.

Methane is a naturally occuring fossil fuel.  Most of the time it is extracted from natural gas which is constituted of 90% methane, 5% propane, and 5% mixed gases.  It is also produced as a by-product of organic digestion.

Natural gas is a popularly used in homes around the United States as a way to heat and cool houses as well as run many household appliances.   It is especially popular, because of its relative inexpense and its ability to be used even while normal electrical lines are down. It is estimated that more than 50% of all the homes in the United States use natural gas (which is mostly methane).  It is also estimated that more than 60% of all new homes built today have natural gas appliances installed.  Home use of natural gas comprises 18% of the total market share. (Deatailed)

Central Heating System can actually use can use gas, oil or solid fuel. Gas heating is by far the most efficient, as it gives automatic heat wherever and whenever you want it and can supply hot water, efficiently and economically, all the year round. (Source)

Cooking - probably the main application of the NG that it is famous for. NG can be used in the oven - roasting, baking and reheating food // the grill - cooking, browning and crisping // the hob - for heating food in saucepans, frying and boiling. The main advantages of NG in this area is that it provides heat very quickly (virtually instantaneously, in fact) - you don't have to wait for rings or grills to 'warm up' before using them and it provides a moist environment in the oven (water vapour is one of the products of combustion) which improves the appearance and colour of cooked food as well as reducing the weight loss in cooking meat. (Source)

Wall Heaters are convection heaters which fit onto any outside wall. They are extremely efficient at providing cheap space heating and background warmth. They are ideal for installing in previously unheated rooms or for eliminating cold spots in larger rooms with another heat source. Gas wall heaters are the cheapest form of space heating to run that you can find. They work by packaging a very efficient heat exchanger with the gas burner. Cool air from the room enters the casing at the bottom and receives heat from the heat exchanger before convecting out into the room through a grill. Sometimes, this process is speeded up by an electric fan. The products of combustion are contained inside the heat exchanger and are passed to the outside through the duct in the balanced flue - they can never enter the room. (Source)

• damp clothes are placed inside a drum which revolves (usually back and forth)
• a gas burner heats the air up outside the drum
• a fan blows the heated air through the drum to dry the clothes. (Source)

Gas-fired hearth products provide the ultimate in convenience and romance. A modern gas hearth product provides the ambience and beauty of a real wood fire without any of the work or mess.   There are gas hearth products available which can be used in an existing wood burning fireplace, as well as fireplaces meant to be built into a wall without any masonry work. (Source)