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Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Litchfield County Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Heating oil is the most popular choice in Litchfield County, used by 539,715 or 38.13% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Litchfield County homeowners is natural gas, used by 516,459 homes (36.49%). The remaining homes are heated with electricity (244,511), propane (75,150), wood (23,585), and other fuels (30,431).

Litchfield County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

FuelLitchfield County Households % of Households
Heating Oil539,71538.13%
Natural Gas516,45936.49%
Electricity244,51117.27%
Propane75,1505.31%
Wood23,5851.67%
Other Fuels18,4001.30%
No Fuel9,3140.66%
Solar1,8520.13%
Coal8650.06%

Heating oil (38.13)

Natural gas (36.49)

Electricity (17.27)

Propane (5.31)

Wood (1.67)

Other fuels (1.30)

No fuel (0.66)

Solar (0.13)

Coal (0.06)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Litchfield County

Heating oil has become less popular in Litchfield County. In the 11 years since 2011, the number of heating oil homes fell from 654,783 to 539,715, a 17.57% drop.

Litchfield County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

YearHeating Oil Households
2011654,783
2012644,340
2013627,716
2014613,504
2015595,244
2016581,382
2017574,588
2018565,439
2019556,309
2020551,817
2021544,406
2022539,715

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Litchfield County

Between 2011 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 38,851 to 75,150.

Between 2011 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 428,677 to 516,459.

Electricity use for home heating in Litchfield County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Litchfield County. Since 2011, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 203,362 to 244,511, a 20.23% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Litchfield County

Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all space heating fuels. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid is circulated between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank in the basement.

Currently, 1,852 homes in Litchfield County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 435.26% increase from 2011, when only 346 homes had installed active solar heating.