Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Heating oil is the most popular choice in Washington County, used by 108,499 or 41.06% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Washington County homeowners is natural gas, used by 50,127 homes (18.97%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (50,123), wood (35,629), electricity (19,788), and other fuels (7,814).
Washington County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Washington County Households | % of Households |
---|---|---|
Heating Oil | 108,499 | 41.06% |
Natural Gas | 50,127 | 18.97% |
Propane | 50,123 | 18.97% |
Wood | 35,629 | 13.48% |
Electricity | 19,788 | 7.49% |
Other Fuels | 5,692 | 2.15% |
Solar | 1,042 | 0.39% |
No Fuel | 619 | 0.23% |
Coal | 461 | 0.17% |
Heating oil (41.06)
Natural gas (18.97)
Propane (18.97)
Wood (13.48)
Electricity (7.49)
Other fuels (2.15)
Solar (0.39)
No fuel (0.23)
Coal (0.17)
Heating oil has become less popular in Washington County. In the 5 years since 2017, the number of heating oil homes fell from 111,092 to 108,499, a 2.33% drop.
Washington County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
Year | Heating Oil Households |
---|---|
2011 | 128,566 |
2012 | 124,072 |
2013 | 119,422 |
2014 | 117,459 |
2015 | 114,826 |
2016 | 111,441 |
2017 | 111,092 |
2018 | 110,704 |
2019 | 108,976 |
2020 | 110,870 |
2021 | 108,747 |
2022 | 108,499 |
Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 40,879 to 50,123.
Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 45,323 to 50,127.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Washington County. Since 2017, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 12,671 to 19,788, a 56.17% 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, 1,042 homes in Washington County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 174.93% increase from 2017, when only 379 homes had installed active solar heating.