Energy
Charted: Home Heating Systems in the U.S.
Charted: Home Heating Systems in the U.S.
This was originally published on April 25, 2022, on Elements.
Fossil fuel combustion for the heating of commercial and residential buildings accounts for roughly 13% of annual greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.
Decarbonizing the U.S. economy requires a switch from fossil fuel-combusting heating solutions to renewable energy sources that generate electricity.
Currently, the majority of new homes in the U.S. still combust natural gas for heating through forced-air furnaces or boilers. Just like cars need to be electric, homes will need to switch to electricity-powered heating systems that use renewable energy sources.
The graphic above uses census data to break down the different heating systems and fuels that are warming the 911,000 single-family homes built in the U.S. in 2020.
Types of Home Heating Systems
Most American homes use one of the following three heating systems:
- Forced-air Furnaces: These typically have a burner in a furnace that is fueled by natural gas. A blower forces cold air through a heat exchanger which warms it up before it flows through ducts that heat the home with air as the medium.
- Heat Pumps: The most common type of heat pumps are air-source heat pumps, which collect hot air from outside the home and concentrate it before pumping it through ducts that heat the air inside. They are usually powered by electricity. During warmer months, heat pumps can reverse themselves to cool the home, transferring hot air from the inside to the outdoors.
- Hot Water/Steam: These systems typically work by boiling water (or generating steam) to the appropriate temperature using gas and sending it through a home’s pipes to radiators that heat the air.
How Home Heating Fuels Have Changed
U.S. home heating has been going through a transition over the last two decades. Electricity has steadily been replacing gas and biofuel/wood-powered home heating systems for new homes, and powers almost half of the heating systems in single-family homes built in 2020.
Here’s how the share of heat sources for new houses changed between 2000 and 2020:
| Fuel | 2000 % of Heating for New Homes | 2020 % of Heating for New Homes |
|---|---|---|
| Gas | 70% | 55% |
| Electricity | 27% | 45% |
| Other | 4% | 1% |
Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.
While electricity’s share has grown since 2000, most American homes are still heated with gas largely because of the fossil fuel’s affordability.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), households relying on gas for space heating are expected to spend an average of $746 over the winter months, compared to $1,268 for electricity, and $1,734 for heating oil.
Heating in Newly-Built Houses Today
Of the 911,000 new single-family homes, 538,000 houses installed forced-air furnaces. Of these, 83% or nearly 450,000 homes used gas as the primary heating source, with 16% opting for electrified furnaces. By contrast, 88% of the 353,000 homes that installed heat pumps relied on electricity.
Here’s how the heating systems and fuels break down for single-family homes built in 2020:
| System Used | Houses Built in 2020 | % Powered by Gas | % Powered by Electricity | % Powered by Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forced-Air Furnace | 538,000 | 83% | 16% | <0.5% |
| Heat Pump | 353,000 | 12% | 88% | 0% |
| Hot Water/Steam | 8,000 | 89% | 5% | 7% |
| Other/None | 12,000 | 12% | 41% | 47% |
Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.
Fewer than 1% of new single-family homes used hot water or steam systems, and the majority of those that did relied on gas as the primary fuel. Around 1.3% of new homes used other systems like electric baseboard heaters, smaller space heaters, panel heaters, or radiators.
While gas remains the dominant heating source today, efforts to decarbonize the U.S. economy could further prompt a shift towards electricity-based heating systems, with electric heat pumps likely taking up a larger piece of the pie.
Energy
Visualized: Offshore Wind Installations by Region (2023–2033)
This streamgraph shows projected offshore wind capacity by region according to The Global Wind Energy Council.
Visualized: Offshore Wind Installations by Region (2023–2033)
In order to meet the 1.5°C trajectory outlined in the Paris Agreement, the world will need 380 GW of offshore cumulative wind capacity by 2030, expanding to 2,000 GW by 2050. But can it be achieved?
The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) projects the upcoming offshore wind installations for each region in their Global Offshore Wind Report 2024.
This streamgraph, created in partnership with the National Public Utilities Council, shows the offshore wind installations of each region from 2023–2033, as projected by GWEC.
The Future Projections
The GWEC says that annual offshore wind installations will move from 10.9 GW in 2023 to 66.0 GW by 2033. The growth will elevate offshore wind’s share of new wind power installations from today’s 9% to at least 25%.
In 2033, Europe and China are expected to lead, with 43% and 30% of global installations, respectively. The U.S., despite its ambitious goals, will contribute just 8% of new capacity in the same year.
Here is a regional breakdown of projected future offshore wind installations in GW.
| Year | Europe | China | Asia Pacific | North America | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3.8 | 6.3 | 0.8 | - | - |
| 2024 | 3.7 | 12 | 1.1 | 0.9 | - |
| 2025 | 5.6 | 15 | 1.7 | 1 | - |
| 2026 | 8.8 | 15 | 2.9 | 2.6 | - |
| 2027 | 9.4 | 15 | 3.1 | 2.6 | - |
| 2028 | 10 | 15 | 5.4 | 2.4 | - |
| 2029 | 17.2 | 16 | 5.8 | 2.6 | - |
| 2030 | 22.7 | 16 | 7.1 | 3.1 | 0.4 |
| 2031 | 27.9 | 18 | 8.5 | 4.5 | 1 |
| 2032 | 28.2 | 18 | 9 | 5.5 | 1 |
| 2033 | 28.2 | 20 | 10.5 | 6 | 1.5 |
Asia Pacific excludes China, Installation estimates in GW
California leads the U.S. efforts, targeting 25.0 GW in cumulative installations by 2045, followed by New Jersey at 11.0 GW. Despite its smaller population, Maryland aims to nearly match New York’s 9.0 GW with a target of 8.5 GW.
The U.S. has already taken strides, bringing online its first utility-scale project, Vineyard Wind 1, which added 0.8 GW to the grid.
With over 25 GW in various stages of development, the Biden administration’s goal is 30 GW by 2030, and has aspirations for 110 GW by 2050. The Inflation Reduction Act, passed under the same administration, previously allocated $392.5 billion in clean energy and climate spending.
The Economic Benefits of Offshore Wind
The American Clean Power Association (ACP) projects that the high scenario of an installation rate of 3 GW per year, with 60% domestic content, could generate $25.0 billion annually and support over 83,000 jobs by 2030.
Recent area lease auctions, such as those in the New York Bight and Carolina Long Bay, have fetched record-breaking bids totalling over $4.3 billion.
Decarbonization requires sustained effort, but with strategic investments and a commitment to innovation, offshore wind could be the wind beneath the wings of a sustainable energy future.
Learn how the National Public Utilities Council is working toward the future of sustainable electricity.
Energy
Ranked: The Largest Power Outages in the U.S. (2013–2023)
Severe weather caused all ten of the largest U.S. power outages in the past decade, highlighting the importance of grid resiliency.
Ranked: The Largest Power Outages in the U.S. (2013–2023)
Power outages—whether due to operational failures, extreme weather, vandalism, or fuel shortages—can have far-reaching impacts on both customers and utility companies.
Created in partnership with The National Public Utilities Council, this graphic shows the 10 largest power outages in the U.S. from the last decade, using data from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
A Decade Of Power Disruptions In Review
The U.S. DOE defines a power outage as an event in which electric service is lost to more than 50,000 customers for one hour or more.
Between 2013 and 2023, all 10 of the largest U.S. outages—ranked by the number of customers affected—have been due to severe weather events. Hurricanes and winter storms, specifically, have caused eight of the 10 outages.
| Year | Number of Customers Affected | Event | Area Affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 3,500,000 | Hurricane Irma | Florida |
| 2021 | 2,000,000 | Winter storm | Texas |
| 2018 | 1,458,000 | Hurricane Florence | North & South Carolina |
| 2016 | 1,200,000 | Hurricane Matthew | Florida |
| 2020 | 1,188,000 | Tropical Storm Isaias | New England |
| 2017 | 1,077,000 | Hurricane Harvey | Texas |
| 2019 | 972,000 | Wildfires | California |
| 2013 | 881,000 | Winter storm | Texas |
| 2023 | 730,000 | Winter storm | New England |
| 2014 | 715,000 | Winter storm | Pennsylvania |
Hurricane Irma tops this list by leaving 3.5 million Floridians without power in 2017. Irma was a Category 5 hurricane that impacted the Southeastern state and several island nations, leading to more than $50 billion in damages in Florida alone.
While Florida experienced the largest outage between 2013 and 2023, Texas has the most events in the top 10 list. These were caused by a winter storm in 2021, Hurricane Harvey in 2017, and another winter storm in 2013.
Investing in a Resilient Grid
The causes of the U.S.’s largest outage events highlight the vulnerability of its transmission infrastructure to extreme weather.
As of 2023, 70% of U.S. transmission lines were over 25 years old. This makes them more susceptible to power outages, cyber-attacks, and sparking wildfires.
It is also relevant to note that extreme weather events are increasing in both frequency and intensity due to climate change. Addressing infrastructure vulnerability, therefore, may be a critical aspect of maintaining reliable power in the decades to come.
Learn how the National Public Utilities Council is working toward the future of sustainable electricity.
-
Energy Shift2 years agoRanked: The Cheapest Sources of Electricity in the U.S.
-
Emissions12 months agoThe Most Polluted Cities in the U.S.
-
Energy Shift2 years agoAnimated: 70 Years of U.S. Electricity Generation by Source
-
Electrification2 years agoVisualized: How the Power Grid Works
-
Clean Energy2 years agoBreaking Down the $110 Trillion Cost of the Clean Energy Transition
-
Clean Energy2 years agoThe 30 Largest U.S. Hydropower Plants
-
Emissions1 year agoVisualized: Global CO2 Emissions Through Time (1950–2022)
-
Climate1 year agoMapped: Global Temperature Rise by Country (2022-2100P)