Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Somerset County, used by 1,036,714 or 43.77% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Somerset County homeowners is electricity, used by 1,018,912 homes (43.02%). The remaining homes are heated with heating oil (178,203), propane (89,874), wood (27,892), and other fuels (45,552).
Somerset County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Somerset County Households | % of Households |
---|---|---|
Natural Gas | 1.0M | 43.77% |
Electricity | 1.0M | 43.02% |
Heating Oil | 178,203 | 7.52% |
Propane | 89,874 | 3.79% |
Wood | 27,892 | 1.18% |
No Fuel | 18,911 | 0.80% |
Other Fuels | 16,016 | 0.68% |
Solar | 9,098 | 0.38% |
Coal | 1,527 | 0.06% |
Natural gas (43.77)
Electricity (43.02)
Heating oil (7.52)
Propane (3.79)
Wood (1.18)
No fuel (0.80)
Other fuels (0.68)
Solar (0.38)
Coal (0.06)
Heating oil has become less popular in Somerset County. In the 4 years since 2018, the number of heating oil homes fell from 193,194 to 178,203, a 7.76% drop.
Somerset County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
Year | Heating Oil Households |
---|---|
2011 | 246,964 |
2012 | 239,039 |
2013 | 228,525 |
2014 | 222,212 |
2015 | 212,903 |
2016 | 207,818 |
2017 | 201,205 |
2018 | 193,194 |
2019 | 186,662 |
2020 | 179,727 |
2021 | 176,310 |
2022 | 178,203 |
Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 75,006 to 89,874.
Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 967,637 to 1,036,714.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Somerset County. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 901,382 to 1,018,912, a 13.04% 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, 9,098 homes in Somerset County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 153.57% increase from 2018, when only 3,588 homes had installed active solar heating.