Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Columbia County, used by 2,698,438 or 51.75% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Columbia 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).
Columbia County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Columbia 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 Columbia County. In the 5 years since 2017, the number of heating oil homes fell from 843,020 to 786,449, a 6.71% drop.
Columbia 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 2017 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 209,004 to 256,098.
Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,572,824 to 2,698,438.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Columbia County. Since 2017, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,120,659 to 1,275,546, a 13.82% 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 Columbia County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 131.37% increase from 2017, when only 1,769 homes had installed active solar heating.