Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Kent County, used by 169,865 or 43.18% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Kent County homeowners is electricity, used by 144,312 homes (36.68%). The remaining homes are heated with heating oil (38,199), propane (34,768), other fuels (3,090), and other fuels (7,083).

Kent County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Kent County Households	% of Households
Natural Gas	169,865	43.18%
Electricity	144,312	36.68%
Heating Oil	38,199	9.71%
Propane	34,768	8.84%
Other Fuels	3,090	0.79%
Wood	2,630	0.67%
No Fuel	2,463	0.63%
Solar	1,088	0.28%
Coal	902	0.23%

Natural gas (43.18)

Electricity (36.68)

Heating oil (9.71)

Propane (8.84)

Other fuels (0.79)

Wood (0.67)

No fuel (0.63)

Solar (0.28)

Coal (0.23)

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

Heating oil has become less popular in Kent County. In the 9 years since 2013, the number of heating oil homes fell from 54,361 to 38,199, a 29.73% drop.

Kent County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	58,474
2012	56,875
2013	54,361
2014	51,755
2015	49,733
2016	47,102
2017	44,319
2018	43,122
2019	41,550
2020	40,121
2021	38,925
2022	38,199

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

Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel fell from 35,513 to 34,768.

Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel fell from 135,269 to 169,865.

Electricity use for home heating in Kent County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Kent County. Since 2013, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 103,702 to 144,312, a 39.16% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Kent 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, 1,088 homes in Kent County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 763.49% increase from 2013, when only 126 homes had installed active solar heating.