Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Pennsylvania, used by 2,365,280 or 53.72% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Pennsylvania homeowners is electricity, used by 1,098,681 homes (24.95%). The remaining homes are heated with heating oil (623,745), propane (190,070), wood (70,145), and other fuels (100,851).
Pennsylvania Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Pennsylvania Households | % of Households |
---|---|---|
Natural Gas | 2.3M | 53.72% |
Electricity | 1.0M | 24.95% |
Heating Oil | 623,745 | 14.17% |
Propane | 190,070 | 4.32% |
Wood | 70,145 | 1.59% |
Other Fuels | 34,669 | 0.79% |
Coal | 34,358 | 0.78% |
No Fuel | 28,380 | 0.64% |
Solar | 3,444 | 0.08% |
Natural gas (53.72)
Electricity (24.95)
Heating oil (14.17)
Propane (4.32)
Wood (1.59)
Other fuels (0.79)
Coal (0.78)
No fuel (0.64)
Solar (0.08)
Heating oil has become less popular in Pennsylvania. In the 10 years since 2012, the number of heating oil homes fell from 799,996 to 623,745, a 22.03% drop.
Pennsylvania Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
Year | Heating Oil Households |
---|---|
2011 | 825,739 |
2012 | 799,996 |
2013 | 768,291 |
2014 | 742,187 |
2015 | 717,580 |
2016 | 688,904 |
2017 | 670,132 |
2018 | 656,577 |
2019 | 643,124 |
2020 | 638,677 |
2021 | 625,641 |
2022 | 623,745 |
Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 127,225 to 190,070.
Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,199,878 to 2,365,280.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Pennsylvania. Since 2012, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 839,684 to 1,098,681, a 30.84% 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, 3,444 homes in Pennsylvania are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 256.89% increase from 2012, when only 965 homes had installed active solar heating.