Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Electricity is the most popular choice in Culpeper County, used by 1,887,993 or 56.72% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Culpeper County homeowners is natural gas, used by 1,101,616 homes (33.09%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (153,698), heating oil (129,907), wood (65,453), and other fuels (41,045).
Culpeper County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Culpeper County Households | % of Households |
---|---|---|
Electricity | 1.8M | 56.72% |
Natural Gas | 1.1M | 33.09% |
Propane | 153,698 | 4.62% |
Heating Oil | 129,907 | 3.90% |
Wood | 65,453 | 1.97% |
No Fuel | 24,314 | 0.73% |
Other Fuels | 12,489 | 0.38% |
Solar | 2,751 | 0.08% |
Coal | 1,491 | 0.04% |
Electricity (56.72)
Natural gas (33.09)
Propane (4.62)
Heating oil (3.90)
Wood (1.97)
No fuel (0.73)
Other fuels (0.38)
Solar (0.08)
Coal (0.04)
Heating oil has become less popular in Culpeper County. In the 11 years since 2011, the number of heating oil homes fell from 228,988 to 129,907, a 43.27% drop.
Culpeper County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
Year | Heating Oil Households |
---|---|
2011 | 228,988 |
2012 | 211,492 |
2013 | 195,333 |
2014 | 182,928 |
2015 | 171,696 |
2016 | 162,011 |
2017 | 154,885 |
2018 | 148,684 |
2019 | 141,997 |
2020 | 137,208 |
2021 | 128,923 |
2022 | 129,907 |
Between 2011 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 140,879 to 153,698.
Between 2011 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,031,157 to 1,101,616.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Culpeper County. Since 2011, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,490,462 to 1,887,993, a 26.67% 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, 2,751 homes in Culpeper County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 518.20% increase from 2011, when only 445 homes had installed active solar heating.
Short Term Trends
Heating Season | Average Temperature |
---|---|
Winter 2022 - 2023 | 48° F |
Winter 2021 - 2022 | 43.7° F |