Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Western Mass, used by 139,953 or 42.95% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Western Mass homeowners is heating oil, used by 89,972 homes (27.61%). The remaining homes are heated with electricity (60,517), propane (20,876), wood (10,056), and other fuels (8,359).
Western Mass Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Western Mass Households | % of Households |
---|---|---|
Natural Gas | 139,953 | 42.95% |
Heating Oil | 89,972 | 27.61% |
Electricity | 60,517 | 18.57% |
Propane | 20,876 | 6.41% |
Wood | 10,056 | 3.09% |
Other Fuels | 4,268 | 1.31% |
No Fuel | 2,644 | 0.81% |
Solar | 1,018 | 0.31% |
Coal | 429 | 0.13% |
Natural gas (42.95)
Heating oil (27.61)
Electricity (18.57)
Propane (6.41)
Wood (3.09)
Other fuels (1.31)
No fuel (0.81)
Solar (0.31)
Coal (0.13)
Heating oil has become less popular in Western Mass. In the 11 years since 2011, the number of heating oil homes fell from 119,414 to 89,972, a 24.66% drop.
Western Mass Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
Year | Heating Oil Households |
---|---|
2011 | 119,414 |
2012 | 114,844 |
2013 | 109,650 |
2014 | 103,588 |
2015 | 99,298 |
2016 | 95,146 |
2017 | 92,656 |
2018 | 91,019 |
2019 | 91,976 |
2020 | 90,951 |
2021 | 90,030 |
2022 | 89,972 |
Between 2011 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 12,166 to 20,876.
Between 2011 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 121,424 to 139,953.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Western Mass. Since 2011, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 44,357 to 60,517, a 36.43% 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, 1,018 homes in Western Mass are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 1313.89% increase from 2011, when only 72 homes had installed active solar heating.