Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Delaware County, used by 3,119,789 or 64.85% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Delaware County homeowners is electricity, used by 1,213,218 homes (25.22%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (272,855), heating oil (100,023), wood (81,253), and other fuels (75,025).
Delaware County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Delaware County Households | % of Households |
---|---|---|
Natural Gas | 3.1M | 64.85% |
Electricity | 1.2M | 25.22% |
Propane | 272,855 | 5.67% |
Heating Oil | 100,023 | 2.08% |
Wood | 81,253 | 1.69% |
Other Fuels | 43,475 | 0.90% |
No Fuel | 27,402 | 0.57% |
Coal | 3,017 | 0.06% |
Solar | 1,131 | 0.02% |
Natural gas (64.85)
Electricity (25.22)
Propane (5.67)
Heating oil (2.08)
Wood (1.69)
Other fuels (0.90)
No fuel (0.57)
Coal (0.06)
Solar (0.02)
Heating oil has become less popular in Delaware County. In the 4 years since 2018, the number of heating oil homes fell from 101,487 to 100,023, a 1.44% drop.
Delaware County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
Year | Heating Oil Households |
---|---|
2011 | 141,038 |
2012 | 132,252 |
2013 | 125,428 |
2014 | 119,022 |
2015 | 113,013 |
2016 | 107,419 |
2017 | 104,197 |
2018 | 101,487 |
2019 | 99,323 |
2020 | 95,712 |
2021 | 92,977 |
2022 | 100,023 |
Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 242,988 to 272,855.
Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 3,064,116 to 3,119,789.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Delaware County. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,097,020 to 1,213,218, a 10.59% 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, 1,131 homes in Delaware County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 22.01% increase from 2018, when only 927 homes had installed active solar heating.