Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Blair County, used by 2,698,438 or 51.75% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Blair 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).
Blair County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Blair 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 Blair County. In the 11 years since 2011, the number of heating oil homes fell from 1,034,857 to 786,449, a 24.00% drop.
Blair 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 2011 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 178,660 to 256,098.
Between 2011 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,537,831 to 2,698,438.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Blair County. Since 2011, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 969,117 to 1,275,546, a 31.62% 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 Blair County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 351.77% increase from 2011, when only 906 homes had installed active solar heating.