Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Bristol County, used by 1,462,335 or 52.38% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Bristol 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).
Bristol County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Bristol 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 Bristol County. In the 5 years since 2017, the number of heating oil homes fell from 707,835 to 663,749, a 6.23% drop.
Bristol 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 2017 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 83,401 to 123,474.
Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,321,168 to 1,462,335.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Bristol County. Since 2017, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 395,373 to 490,395, a 24.03% 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 Bristol County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 175.45% increase from 2017, when only 1,984 homes had installed active solar heating.