Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Heating oil is the most popular choice in Strafford County, used by 224,725 or 41.34% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Strafford County homeowners is natural gas, used by 117,536 homes (21.62%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (100,624), electricity (57,780), wood (35,074), and other fuels (16,939).
Strafford County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Strafford County Households | % of Households |
---|---|---|
Heating Oil | 224,725 | 41.34% |
Natural Gas | 117,536 | 21.62% |
Propane | 100,624 | 18.51% |
Electricity | 57,780 | 10.63% |
Wood | 35,074 | 6.45% |
Other Fuels | 10,355 | 1.90% |
No Fuel | 5,272 | 0.97% |
Solar | 690 | 0.13% |
Coal | 622 | 0.11% |
Heating oil (41.34)
Natural gas (21.62)
Propane (18.51)
Electricity (10.63)
Wood (6.45)
Other fuels (1.90)
No fuel (0.97)
Solar (0.13)
Coal (0.11)
Heating oil has become less popular in Strafford County. In the 8 years since 2014, the number of heating oil homes fell from 245,025 to 224,725, a 8.28% drop.
Strafford County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
Year | Heating Oil Households |
---|---|
2011 | 262,755 |
2012 | 257,827 |
2013 | 251,497 |
2014 | 245,025 |
2015 | 241,293 |
2016 | 236,690 |
2017 | 234,647 |
2018 | 233,209 |
2019 | 233,052 |
2020 | 232,901 |
2021 | 228,197 |
2022 | 224,725 |
Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 73,881 to 100,624.
Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 102,284 to 117,536.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Strafford County. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 42,362 to 57,780, a 36.40% 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, 690 homes in Strafford County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 114.95% increase from 2014, when only 321 homes had installed active solar heating.