Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Orleans County, used by 4,593,346 or 59.99% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Orleans County homeowners is heating oil, used by 1,379,410 homes (18.02%). The remaining homes are heated with electricity (1,040,155), propane (371,184), no fuel (127,077), and other fuels (245,918).
Orleans County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Orleans County Households | % of Households |
---|---|---|
Natural Gas | 4.5M | 59.99% |
Heating Oil | 1.3M | 18.02% |
Electricity | 1.0M | 13.59% |
Propane | 371,184 | 4.85% |
No Fuel | 127,077 | 1.66% |
Wood | 117,324 | 1.53% |
Other Fuels | 102,644 | 1.34% |
Coal | 17,488 | 0.23% |
Solar | 8,462 | 0.11% |
Natural gas (59.99)
Heating oil (18.02)
Electricity (13.59)
Propane (4.85)
No fuel (1.66)
Wood (1.53)
Other fuels (1.34)
Coal (0.23)
Solar (0.11)
Heating oil has become less popular in Orleans County. In the 11 years since 2011, the number of heating oil homes fell from 2,173,711 to 1,379,410, a 36.54% drop.
Orleans County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
Year | Heating Oil Households |
---|---|
2011 | 2.1M |
2012 | 2.0M |
2013 | 1.9M |
2014 | 1.9M |
2015 | 1.8M |
2016 | 1.7M |
2017 | 1.6M |
2018 | 1.5M |
2019 | 1.5M |
2020 | 1.4M |
2021 | 1.4M |
2022 | 1.3M |
Between 2011 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 224,689 to 371,184.
Between 2011 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 3,908,626 to 4,593,346.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Orleans County. Since 2011, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 653,872 to 1,040,155, a 59.08% 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, 8,462 homes in Orleans County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 403.69% increase from 2011, when only 1,680 homes had installed active solar heating.