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Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Kent County Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Kent County, used by 238,742 or 54.26% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Kent County homeowners is heating oil, used by 123,813 homes (28.14%). The remaining homes are heated with electricity (48,633), propane (20,429), wood (6,316), and other fuels (5,741).

Kent County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

FuelKent County Households % of Households
Natural Gas238,74254.26%
Heating Oil123,81328.14%
Electricity48,63311.05%
Propane20,4294.64%
Wood6,3161.44%
Other Fuels2,9060.66%
No Fuel2,2740.52%
Solar3680.08%
Coal1930.04%

Natural gas (54.26)

Heating oil (28.14)

Electricity (11.05)

Propane (4.64)

Wood (1.44)

Other fuels (0.66)

No fuel (0.52)

Solar (0.08)

Coal (0.04)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Kent County

Heating oil has become less popular in Kent County. In the 10 years since 2012, the number of heating oil homes fell from 153,479 to 123,813, a 19.33% drop.

Kent County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

YearHeating Oil Households
2011157,426
2012153,479
2013147,768
2014142,612
2015137,451
2016132,040
2017128,844
2018125,460
2019122,583
2020121,062
2021122,289
2022123,813

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Kent County

Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 8,204 to 20,429.

Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 204,763 to 238,742.

Electricity use for home heating in Kent County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Kent County. Since 2012, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 35,300 to 48,633, a 37.77% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Kent County

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, 368 homes in Kent County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 384.21% increase from 2012, when only 76 homes had installed active solar heating.