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Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Washington County Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Washington County, used by 1,036,714 or 43.77% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Washington 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).

Washington County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Washington 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)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Washington County

Heating oil has become less popular in Washington County. In the 7 years since 2015, the number of heating oil homes fell from 212,903 to 178,203, a 16.30% drop.

Washington 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

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Washington County

Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 70,060 to 89,874.

Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 964,345 to 1,036,714.

Electricity use for home heating in Washington County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Washington County. Since 2015, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 866,969 to 1,018,912, a 17.53% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Washington County

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 Washington County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 855.67% increase from 2015, when only 952 homes had installed active solar heating.