Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Wicomico County, used by 1,036,714 or 43.77% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Wicomico 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).
Wicomico County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Wicomico 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 Wicomico County. In the 8 years since 2014, the number of heating oil homes fell from 222,212 to 178,203, a 19.80% drop.
Wicomico 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 2014 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 68,303 to 89,874.
Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 960,261 to 1,036,714.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Wicomico County. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 855,310 to 1,018,912, a 19.13% 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 Wicomico County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 1358.01% increase from 2014, when only 624 homes had installed active solar heating.