Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Berkshire County, used by 1,462,335 or 52.38% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Berkshire County homeowners is heating oil, used by 663,749 homes (23.78%). The remaining homes are heated with electricity (490,395), propane (123,474), wood (34,021), and other fuels (50,956).
Berkshire County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Berkshire County Households | % of Households |
---|---|---|
Natural Gas | 1.4M | 52.38% |
Heating Oil | 663,749 | 23.78% |
Electricity | 490,395 | 17.57% |
Propane | 123,474 | 4.42% |
Wood | 34,021 | 1.22% |
Other Fuels | 24,655 | 0.88% |
No Fuel | 19,283 | 0.69% |
Solar | 5,465 | 0.20% |
Coal | 1,553 | 0.06% |
Natural gas (52.38)
Heating oil (23.78)
Electricity (17.57)
Propane (4.42)
Wood (1.22)
Other fuels (0.88)
No fuel (0.69)
Solar (0.20)
Coal (0.06)
Heating oil has become less popular in Berkshire County. In the 4 years since 2018, the number of heating oil homes fell from 690,486 to 663,749, a 3.87% drop.
Berkshire County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
Year | Heating Oil Households |
---|---|
2011 | 851,319 |
2012 | 827,983 |
2013 | 798,470 |
2014 | 770,791 |
2015 | 746,949 |
2016 | 723,433 |
2017 | 707,835 |
2018 | 690,486 |
2019 | 678,224 |
2020 | 667,484 |
2021 | 662,876 |
2022 | 663,749 |
Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 85,505 to 123,474.
Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,341,778 to 1,462,335.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Berkshire County. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 407,810 to 490,395, a 20.25% increase.
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, 5,465 homes in Berkshire County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 128.76% increase from 2018, when only 2,389 homes had installed active solar heating.