Use of heating equipment and fuel varies based on climate

The majority of U.S. households use natural gas furnaces, electric furnaces or electric heat pumps as their main heat source in the winter, but the equipment and fuels used for heating range widely across the United States, based on the climate, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. “Certain heating choices are better suited to certain climates.”

Households used more than “150 unique combinations of heating equipment and fuels,” according to a 2015 Residential Energy Consumption Survey.

A total of 47% of households use natural gas as their main heating fuel, while 37% use electricity. “Natural gas furnaces are the most common space heating equipment used in every climate region except the hot-humid region of the Southeast, where heating needs are lower and electric furnaces are more prevalent,” according to the EIA. In the southwestern United States, 15% of homes don’t use heating equipment, “compared with the national average of 4%.”

Electric heat pumps are mostly used in hot-humid and mixed-humid areas with mild winters. “Of the 12.1 million households that use electric heat pumps, 9.3 million are in these two regions, which cover much of the Southeast,” according to the EIA. “The high cost of electric heating in colder climates has often limited the use of heat pumps and other electric equipment in those areas.” As heat pump technology improves, it’s allowed for more efficient heating in areas with lower temperatures. About 3% or 1.3 million homes in cold climates use electric heat pumps.

Houses in colder climates commonly use distillate fuel oil or kerosene for heating, but their use is declining. Between 2009 and 2015, the number of homes using fuel oil or kerosene as their main heat source declined 20% to 5.9 million.

Secondary heating sources include portable electric heaters and fireplaces, and 37% of U.S. households use these sources to supplement their main heating source. Nearly 50% used portable electric heaters, followed by fireplaces using natural gas or wood. Some homes also use furnaces or heat pumps as a backup heating source.