Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Hancock County Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Hancock County, used by 3,119,786 or 64.85% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Hancock 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).
Hancock County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
| Fuel | Hancock 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 Hancock County
Heating oil has become less popular in Hancock County. In the 4 years since 2018, the number of heating oil homes fell from 101,487 to 100,023, a 1.44% drop.
Hancock 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 Hancock County
Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 242,988 to 272,855.
Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 3,064,116 to 3,119,786.
Electricity use for home heating in Hancock County
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Hancock County. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,097,020 to 1,213,218, a 10.59% increase.
Solar use for home heating in Hancock 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 Hancock County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 22.01% increase from 2018, when only 927 homes had installed active solar heating.
