Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Washington County, used by 1,036,714 or 43.77% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Washington County homeowners is electricity, used by 1,018,912 homes (43.02%). The remaining homes are heated with heating oil (178,203), propane (89,874), wood (27,892), and other fuels (45,552).
Washington County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Washington County Households | % of Households |
---|---|---|
Natural Gas | 1.0M | 43.77% |
Electricity | 1.0M | 43.02% |
Heating Oil | 178,203 | 7.52% |
Propane | 89,874 | 3.79% |
Wood | 27,892 | 1.18% |
No Fuel | 18,911 | 0.80% |
Other Fuels | 16,016 | 0.68% |
Solar | 9,098 | 0.38% |
Coal | 1,527 | 0.06% |
Natural gas (43.77)
Electricity (43.02)
Heating oil (7.52)
Propane (3.79)
Wood (1.18)
No fuel (0.80)
Other fuels (0.68)
Solar (0.38)
Coal (0.06)
Heating oil has become less popular in Washington County. In the 3 years since 2019, the number of heating oil homes fell from 186,662 to 178,203, a 4.53% drop.
Washington County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
Year | Heating Oil Households |
---|---|
2011 | 246,964 |
2012 | 239,039 |
2013 | 228,525 |
2014 | 222,212 |
2015 | 212,903 |
2016 | 207,818 |
2017 | 201,205 |
2018 | 193,194 |
2019 | 186,662 |
2020 | 179,727 |
2021 | 176,310 |
2022 | 178,203 |
Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 76,318 to 89,874.
Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 967,736 to 1,036,714.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Washington County. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 919,105 to 1,018,912, a 10.86% 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, 9,098 homes in Washington County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 82.40% increase from 2019, when only 4,988 homes had installed active solar heating.