Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Heating oil is the most popular choice in Somerset County, used by 344,285 or 59.84% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Somerset County homeowners is propane, used by 74,720 homes (12.99%). The remaining homes are heated with electricity (53,649), wood (50,553), natural gas (46,832), and other fuels (16,018).
Somerset County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Somerset County Households | % of Households |
---|---|---|
Heating Oil | 344,285 | 59.84% |
Propane | 74,720 | 12.99% |
Electricity | 53,649 | 9.33% |
Wood | 50,553 | 8.79% |
Natural Gas | 46,832 | 8.14% |
Other Fuels | 10,776 | 1.87% |
No Fuel | 2,221 | 0.39% |
Solar | 1,762 | 0.31% |
Coal | 1,259 | 0.22% |
Heating oil (59.84)
Propane (12.99)
Electricity (9.33)
Wood (8.79)
Natural gas (8.14)
Other fuels (1.87)
No fuel (0.39)
Solar (0.31)
Coal (0.22)
Heating oil has become less popular in Somerset County. In the 7 years since 2015, the number of heating oil homes fell from 359,172 to 344,285, a 4.14% drop.
Somerset County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
Year | Heating Oil Households |
---|---|
2011 | 399,528 |
2012 | 389,712 |
2013 | 378,400 |
2014 | 368,680 |
2015 | 359,172 |
2016 | 350,786 |
2017 | 345,775 |
2018 | 344,793 |
2019 | 344,403 |
2020 | 348,823 |
2021 | 345,156 |
2022 | 344,285 |
Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 45,626 to 74,720.
Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 33,136 to 46,832.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Somerset County. Since 2015, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 27,536 to 53,649, a 94.83% 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, 1,762 homes in Somerset County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 246.85% increase from 2015, when only 508 homes had installed active solar heating.