Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Electricity is the most popular choice in Spotsylvania County, used by 1,887,993 or 56.72% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Spotsylvania 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).
Spotsylvania County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Spotsylvania 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 Spotsylvania County. In the 7 years since 2015, the number of heating oil homes fell from 171,696 to 129,907, a 24.34% drop.
Spotsylvania 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 2015 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 135,945 to 153,698.
Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,028,424 to 1,101,616.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Spotsylvania County. Since 2015, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,622,034 to 1,887,993, a 16.40% 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 Spotsylvania County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 296.40% increase from 2015, when only 694 homes had installed active solar heating.