Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Worcester County, used by 1,462,335 or 52.38% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Worcester 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).
Worcester County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Worcester 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 Worcester County. In the 2 years since 2020, the number of heating oil homes fell from 667,484 to 663,749, a 0.56% drop.
Worcester 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 2020 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 97,561 to 123,474.
Between 2020 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,374,949 to 1,462,335.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Worcester County. Since 2020, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 434,756 to 490,395, a 12.80% 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 Worcester County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 52.02% increase from 2020, when only 3,595 homes had installed active solar heating.