Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Electricity is the most popular choice in Shenandoah County, used by 1,887,993 or 56.72% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Shenandoah 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).
Shenandoah County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Shenandoah 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 Shenandoah County. In the 3 years since 2019, the number of heating oil homes fell from 141,997 to 129,907, a 8.51% drop.
Shenandoah 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 2019 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 137,228 to 153,698.
Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,043,666 to 1,101,616.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Shenandoah County. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,732,234 to 1,887,993, a 8.99% 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 Shenandoah County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 132.74% increase from 2019, when only 1,182 homes had installed active solar heating.