There are two types of household gas supply in Japan: city gas and propane gas (LP gas).
Overview
Gas Supply Types
There are two main types of household gas supply in Japan: city gas and propane gas (LP gas). City gas uses liquefied natural gas (LNG) as raw material and is supplied through underground pipelines, while propane gas uses liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as raw material and is supplied via cylinder delivery. They differ in raw materials, supply methods, pricing systems, safety features, and supply areas, and are chosen based on residential location and lifestyle.
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household gas
| code | slug | name | description | calorificValue | disasterRecovery | pricingSystem | rawMaterial | specificGravity | supplyArea | supplyMethod |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | city-gas | City Gas | Gas supplied through underground pipelines using liquefied natural gas (LNG) as raw material. | 10,750〜11,000 kcal/m³ | Pipeline repair takes time (days to weeks) | Comprehensive cost method (regulated pricing) | Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) - mainly methane | lighter-than-air | Urban areas (within pipeline network coverage) | Underground gas pipelines |
| 02 | lp-gas | Propane Gas (LP Gas) | Gas supplied via cylinder delivery using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as raw material. | 24,000 kcal/m³（都市ガスの約2.2倍） | Relatively quick recovery through cylinder replacement (hours to a day) | Free pricing system (varies by provider) | Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) - mainly propane and butane | heavier-than-air | Nationwide (anywhere cylinders can be delivered) | Cylinder delivery |