Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Orange County Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Orange County, used by 3,119,786 or 64.85% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Orange 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).
Orange County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
| Fuel | Orange 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 Orange County
Heating oil has become less popular in Orange County. In the 7 years since 2015, the number of heating oil homes fell from 113,013 to 100,023, a 11.49% drop.
Orange 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 Orange County
Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 239,273 to 272,855.
Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 3,050,768 to 3,119,786.
Electricity use for home heating in Orange County
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Orange County. Since 2015, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,034,454 to 1,213,218, a 17.28% increase.
Solar use for home heating in Orange 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 Orange County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 10.34% increase from 2015, when only 1,025 homes had installed active solar heating.
