Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Heating oil is the most popular choice in Washington County, used by 108,499 or 41.06% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Washington County homeowners is natural gas, used by 50,127 homes (18.97%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (50,123), wood (35,629), electricity (19,788), and other fuels (7,814).

Washington County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Washington County Households	% of Households
Heating Oil	108,499	41.06%
Natural Gas	50,127	18.97%
Propane	50,123	18.97%
Wood	35,629	13.48%
Electricity	19,788	7.49%
Other Fuels	5,692	2.15%
Solar	1,042	0.39%
No Fuel	619	0.23%
Coal	461	0.17%

Heating oil (41.06)

Natural gas (18.97)

Propane (18.97)

Wood (13.48)

Electricity (7.49)

Other fuels (2.15)

Solar (0.39)

No fuel (0.23)

Coal (0.17)

#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 114,826 to 108,499, a 5.51% drop.

Washington County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	128,566
2012	124,072
2013	119,422
2014	117,459
2015	114,826
2016	111,441
2017	111,092
2018	110,704
2019	108,976
2020	110,870
2021	108,747
2022	108,499

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 39,021 to 50,123.

Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 42,451 to 50,127.

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 11,889 to 19,788, a 66.44% 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, 1,042 homes in Washington County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 428.93% increase from 2015, when only 197 homes had installed active solar heating.