Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Hampden County, used by 1,462,335 or 52.38% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Hampden County homeowners is heating oil, used by 663,749 homes (23.78%). The remaining homes are heated with electricity (490,395), propane (123,474), wood (34,021), and other fuels (50,956).
Hampden County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Hampden County Households | % of Households |
---|---|---|
Natural Gas | 1.4M | 52.38% |
Heating Oil | 663,749 | 23.78% |
Electricity | 490,395 | 17.57% |
Propane | 123,474 | 4.42% |
Wood | 34,021 | 1.22% |
Other Fuels | 24,655 | 0.88% |
No Fuel | 19,283 | 0.69% |
Solar | 5,465 | 0.20% |
Coal | 1,553 | 0.06% |
Natural gas (52.38)
Heating oil (23.78)
Electricity (17.57)
Propane (4.42)
Wood (1.22)
Other fuels (0.88)
No fuel (0.69)
Solar (0.20)
Coal (0.06)
Heating oil has become less popular in Hampden County. In the 6 years since 2016, the number of heating oil homes fell from 723,433 to 663,749, a 8.25% drop.
Hampden County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
Year | Heating Oil Households |
---|---|
2011 | 851,319 |
2012 | 827,983 |
2013 | 798,470 |
2014 | 770,791 |
2015 | 746,949 |
2016 | 723,433 |
2017 | 707,835 |
2018 | 690,486 |
2019 | 678,224 |
2020 | 667,484 |
2021 | 662,876 |
2022 | 663,749 |
Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 78,533 to 123,474.
Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,295,552 to 1,462,335.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Hampden County. Since 2016, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 384,621 to 490,395, a 27.50% 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, 5,465 homes in Hampden County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 306.02% increase from 2016, when only 1,346 homes had installed active solar heating.