We have started looking at land a little south of us. One listing for 5 acres stated it had a natural gas well. Can the well be used to heat a house or run a backup generator for the house?

Im sure there would be an upfront cost for equipment. Would the investment be worth it?

I work indirectly with oil and gas, so I’m kinda familiar with the surface equipment.

My guess is no. Quality of the gas, pressure in the line being too great, ownership of the well and gas, a midstream company may take possession of the gas at the wellhead, taxes being avoided, and your public utility commission likely would say no.

Check to see if mineral and/or subsurface rights are part of the transaction. You could be buying a property with a well that you get no benefit from.

ETA: Not to mention, someone has access to your property 24/7 for well maintenance

This message has been edited. Last edited by: dlc444,

Russ59 and dlc444 covered it, and I have nothing to add.

quote:

Originally posted by dlc444:


ETA: Not to mention, someone has access to your property 24/7 for well maintenance

Very good point. I should have thought of that.

Thanks for the help guys.

It is worth checking into.

My grandmother had gas wells on her farm that were connected to her house (and a neighbor’s house which Is an interesting story). Her old farm house was cozy warm.

A lot of different factors as stated above but if everything is setup right it could be a big plus.

I remember in the 1970’s there was a house in Northville Township Michigan listed for sale in the local newspaper real estate section with the statement made it had a Natural Gas well on the property that gave the property owner free gas.

Never inquired as the listing price was way out of my realm.

Conventional gas wells all reach the end of their commercial life at some point. But these wells are often connected to the landowner's house at that point, as they can continue to supply one household for decades. Very common in the Appalachian Basin in states like PA, OH, WV, KY where small, shallow conventional wells are the most common.

A gas well can be very expensive to maintain. I have wells on my camp property but do not own the mineral rights. But the gas company gives me 50000 cubic feet free and at cost for any more that I use.

quote:

Originally posted by dlc444:
Check to see if mineral and/or subsurface rights are part of the transaction. You could be buying a property with a well that you get no benefit from.

ETA: Not to mention, someone has access to your property 24/7 for well maintenance

I'd also be concerned if it'd ever be possible for the owners of the shallow well to make it into a deep shale well because if so you could end up with an industrial site there. Russ and Bigbore could probably answer this.