Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Electricity is the most popular choice in Mathews County, used by 1,887,993 or 56.72% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Mathews 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).
Mathews County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Mathews 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 Mathews County. In the 10 years since 2012, the number of heating oil homes fell from 211,492 to 129,907, a 38.58% drop.
Mathews 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 2012 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 136,687 to 153,698.
Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,026,182 to 1,101,616.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Mathews County. Since 2012, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,529,794 to 1,887,993, a 23.41% 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 Mathews County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 550.35% increase from 2012, when only 423 homes had installed active solar heating.