Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Electricity is the most popular choice in Frederick County, used by 1,887,993 or 56.72% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Frederick County homeowners is natural gas, used by 1,101,616 homes (33.09%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (153,698), heating oil (129,907), wood (65,453), and other fuels (41,045).
Frederick County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Frederick County Households | % of Households |
---|---|---|
Electricity | 1.8M | 56.72% |
Natural Gas | 1.1M | 33.09% |
Propane | 153,698 | 4.62% |
Heating Oil | 129,907 | 3.90% |
Wood | 65,453 | 1.97% |
No Fuel | 24,314 | 0.73% |
Other Fuels | 12,489 | 0.38% |
Solar | 2,751 | 0.08% |
Coal | 1,491 | 0.04% |
Electricity (56.72)
Natural gas (33.09)
Propane (4.62)
Heating oil (3.90)
Wood (1.97)
No fuel (0.73)
Other fuels (0.38)
Solar (0.08)
Coal (0.04)
Heating oil has become less popular in Frederick County. In the 6 years since 2016, the number of heating oil homes fell from 162,011 to 129,907, a 19.82% drop.
Frederick County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
Year | Heating Oil Households |
---|---|
2011 | 228,988 |
2012 | 211,492 |
2013 | 195,333 |
2014 | 182,928 |
2015 | 171,696 |
2016 | 162,011 |
2017 | 154,885 |
2018 | 148,684 |
2019 | 141,997 |
2020 | 137,208 |
2021 | 128,923 |
2022 | 129,907 |
Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 138,217 to 153,698.
Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,031,638 to 1,101,616.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Frederick County. Since 2016, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,654,016 to 1,887,993, a 14.15% 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, 2,751 homes in Frederick County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 265.34% increase from 2016, when only 753 homes had installed active solar heating.