Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Allegheny County, used by 2,698,438 or 51.75% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Allegheny County homeowners is electricity, used by 1,275,546 homes (24.46%). The remaining homes are heated with heating oil (786,449), propane (256,098), wood (122,435), and other fuels (139,486).
Allegheny County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Allegheny County Households | % of Households |
---|---|---|
Natural Gas | 2.6M | 51.75% |
Electricity | 1.2M | 24.46% |
Heating Oil | 786,449 | 15.08% |
Propane | 256,098 | 4.91% |
Wood | 122,435 | 2.35% |
Coal | 51,531 | 0.99% |
Other Fuels | 50,506 | 0.97% |
No Fuel | 33,356 | 0.64% |
Solar | 4,093 | 0.08% |
Natural gas (51.75)
Electricity (24.46)
Heating oil (15.08)
Propane (4.91)
Wood (2.35)
Coal (0.99)
Other fuels (0.97)
No fuel (0.64)
Solar (0.08)
Heating oil has become less popular in Allegheny County. In the 6 years since 2016, the number of heating oil homes fell from 864,952 to 786,449, a 9.08% drop.
Allegheny County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
Year | Heating Oil Households |
---|---|
2011 | 1.0M |
2012 | 1.0M |
2013 | 963,754 |
2014 | 930,735 |
2015 | 899,276 |
2016 | 864,952 |
2017 | 843,020 |
2018 | 828,104 |
2019 | 814,213 |
2020 | 811,086 |
2021 | 790,823 |
2022 | 786,449 |
Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 200,609 to 256,098.
Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,539,902 to 2,698,438.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Allegheny County. Since 2016, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,093,770 to 1,275,546, a 16.62% 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, 4,093 homes in Allegheny County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 154.86% increase from 2016, when only 1,606 homes had installed active solar heating.