Skip to main content.

Renewable Natural Gas and Offsets

Renewable Gas

What is Renewable Gas and RNG?

RNG, short for renewable natural gas, is one type of renewable gas. RNG is a sustainable and alternative fuel produced from naturally occurring methane that is captured primarily from landfill, agricultural, wastewater plants, and food waste sites. RNG can be used in existing natural gas appliances, equipment and infrastructure. Renewable gas is any pipeline-compatible gaseous fuel. It can also be derived from biogenic or other renewable energy sources. This includes methane-based RNG and low-carbon future fuels, such as hydrogen.

Through its Renewable Gas Interconnection Pilot, Nicor Gas proposes to introduce renewable gas to its service area. We actively receive new requests for interconnection to renewable gas facilities and are working with local suppliers to integrate more renewable fuels into our system. Nicor Gas is also working with regulatory agencies, as well as local and state legislators, to bring renewable gas to our communities and facilitate economy-wide carbon reductions while fueling resiliency, energy security and the growth of the clean energy economy. 

TotalGreen

TotalGreen is a new, innovative offering that brings the benefits of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) to our customers.

TotalGreen is a voluntary, environmentally friendly pilot program designed to be a flexible option for customers interested in offsetting the total net carbon dioxide emissions of 100% of their natural gas usage. As a service offered by Nicor Gas, the environmental benefits (i.e., emissions reductions) are achieved by Nicor Gas procuring the environmental attributes of RNG (i.e., credits associated with the production of RNG) combined with verified carbon offsets and retiring those environmental benefits on behalf of participating customers.

TotalGreen is a subscription-based offering, charged to your monthly Nicor Gas bill, that offers:

  • Month-to-month automatic renewals
  • No long-term commitments
  • The ability to change subscription options on a month-to-month basi

Nicor Gas will offer two options at a fixed rate ($/therm) to all interested customers:

  1. Customers who are price sensitive may select to use >99% carbon offsets and <1% RNG.
  2. Customers who prefer a more direct reduction may select the higher-blend option between  5% and 20% RNG and the balance from carbon offsets.

No matter which option is selected, 100% of the customer’s natural gas emissions are reduced or offset.

Finally, some Commercial and Industrial customers prefer direct reductions may choose 100% RNG. Nicor Gas will provide pricing for this option based on the requested volume. Please contact us by emailing RenewableGas@southernco.com with any questions you may have about the TotalGreen program.