Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Columbia County Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Columbia County, used by 3,119,786 or 64.85% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Columbia County homeowners is electricity, used by 1,213,218 homes (25.22%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (272,855), heating oil (100,023), wood (81,253), and other fuels (43,475).
Columbia County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
| Fuel | Columbia County Households | % of Households |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Gas | 3.1M | 64.9% |
| Electricity | 1.2M | 25.2% |
| Propane | 272,855 | 5.7% |
| Heating Oil | 100,023 | 2.1% |
| Wood | 81,253 | 1.7% |
| Other Fuels | 43,475 | 0.9% |
| No Fuel | 27,402 | 0.6% |
| Coal | 3,017 | 0.1% |
| Solar | 1,131 | 0.0% |
Natural gas (64.9%)
Electricity (25.2%)
Propane (5.7%)
Heating oil (2.1%)
Wood (1.7%)
Other fuels (0.9%)
No fuel (0.6%)
Coal (0.1%)
Solar (0.0%)
#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Columbia County
Heating oil has become more popular in Columbia County. In the 2 years since 2020, the number of heating oil homes rose from 95,712 to 100,023, a 4.50% lift.
Columbia County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
| Year | Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 141,038 |
| 2012 | 132,252 |
| 2013 | 125,428 |
| 2014 | 119,022 |
| 2015 | 113,013 |
| 2016 | 107,419 |
| 2017 | 104,197 |
| 2018 | 101,487 |
| 2019 | 99,323 |
| 2020 | 95,712 |
| 2021 | 92,977 |
| 2022 | 100,023 |
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Columbia County
Between 2020 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 255,709 to 272,855.
Between 2020 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 3,077,892 to 3,119,786.
Electricity use for home heating in Columbia County
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Columbia County. Since 2020, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,143,597 to 1,213,218, a 6.09% increase.
Solar use for home heating in Columbia 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, 1,131 homes in Columbia County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 6.80% increase from 2020, when only 1,059 homes had installed active solar heating.
