Natural gas heating remains a major household energy source, but its measured prevalence depends on whether a statistic counts any gas use, primary heating fuel, equipment, or analyzed dwellings. The figures below separate those definitions across the United States, England, Wales, and the wider United Kingdom.
Key Natural Gas Heating Statistics
The most broadly useful natural gas heating figures include:
- In 2020, 61% of U.S. households used natural gas for at least one energy end use.
- In 2020, natural gas accounted for about 43% of U.S. residential end-use energy consumption.
- In the 2019 American Community Survey, 48% of U.S. homes used natural gas as their primary heating fuel.
- In 2020, 70% of Midwest U.S. households used natural gas for space heating.
- In 2020, 35% of Southern U.S. households used natural gas for space heating.
- In 2020, U.S. residential natural-gas space heating consumed 2,870.9 billion cubic feet.
- In January 2020, U.S. household natural-gas space-heating consumption reached 599.4 billion cubic feet.
- In August 2020, U.S. household natural-gas space-heating consumption was 1.6 billion cubic feet.
- In 2020, natural gas was the main heating fuel in 62.71 million U.S. homes.
- In 2020, natural-gas central warm-air furnaces served 53.26 million U.S. homes.
- In DOE’s northern-region model, a 99% AFUE furnace used 502 therms annually.
- In the same model, annual energy cost was $482 for the 99% AFUE furnace and $597 for the 80% AFUE furnace.
- DOE estimates that 95% AFUE residential gas-furnace standards will save $1.5 billion in annual utility bills.
- In Census 2021, mains gas was the central-heating type for 73.8% of households in England and Wales.
- In Winter 2024, gas central heating was the main heating system for 50% of UK households.
- In 2023–24, about 21.2 million English households, or 86%, used a gas-fired main heating system.
Contents
- U.S. household adoption and fuel use
- Regional space-heating patterns
- Consumption and seasonal demand
- Furnace equipment and home size
- Efficiency, costs, and policy outlook
- England, Wales, and UK trends
U.S. Natural Gas Heating Statistics: Household Adoption and Fuel Use
The 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) estimated that natural gas was used for at least one household energy end use by 61% of U.S. households. The estimate covered 18,496 responding households, so it is a survey measure rather than a complete administrative count. EIA, “The majority of U.S. households used natural gas in 2020”
| Measure | Period and population | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Any natural-gas end use | U.S. households, 2020 | 61% |
| Natural gas as primary heating fuel | U.S. homes, 2019 ACS | 48% |
| Natural gas as main heating fuel | U.S. households, 2015 RECS | 47% |
| Natural gas share of residential end-use energy | U.S. residential sector, 2020 | About 43% |
These measures should not be merged: the 61% and 43% figures describe any use and energy consumption, while the 47% and 48% figures describe primary or main heating fuel in different surveys and years. EIA also reported that natural gas was used in 58% of U.S. homes in 2020, while about three-quarters of homes used two or more energy sources.
Among households using natural gas in 2020, 91% were located in urban areas. That is the urban share of gas-using households, not the percentage of urban households adopting gas heating. EIA, “The majority of U.S. households used natural gas in 2020”
Regional Natural Gas Space-Heating Statistics in the United States
Natural gas space heating varied substantially across U.S. Census regions in the 2020 RECS estimate:
| U.S. Census region | Households using natural gas for space heating, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Midwest | 70% |
| West | 60% |
| South | 35% |
The source also reported a 90% household share for any natural-gas end use in Utah, the highest cited state figure, compared with 16% in both Florida and Hawaii. Those state figures cover any end use rather than heating specifically, so they are not direct state-level equivalents to the regional space-heating percentages. EIA, “The majority of U.S. households used natural gas in 2020”
For broader heating context, the 2015 RECS identified natural gas as the main heating fuel for 47% of U.S. households and electric equipment as the main heating fuel for 36%. Of 12.1 million U.S. households using electric heat pumps in 2015, 9.3 million were in hot-humid and mixed-humid climate regions; this comparison concerns electric heat pumps, not gas systems. EIA, “Table HC6.9 Space heating in U.S. homes, by home size, 2020”
Natural Gas Heating Consumption and Seasonal Demand Trends
EIA estimated 2,870.9 billion cubic feet of U.S. residential natural-gas space-heating consumption in 2020. The CE8.12 series includes main and secondary space heating for all primary occupied housing units, while excluding vacant, seasonal, second homes, military housing, and group quarters. EIA, “Table CE8.12.M.2020 Monthly household site natural gas space heating consumption in the United States—totals, 2020”
| Month in 2020 | Consumption, billion cubic feet |
|---|---|
| January | 599.4 |
| February | 552.5 |
| March | 350.4 |
| April | 231.8 |
| May | 90.5 |
| June | 12.4 |
| July | 3.7 |
| August | 1.6 |
| September | 18.1 |
| October | 137.4 |
| November | 284.2 |
| December | 588.8 |
The monthly estimates show a pronounced seasonal pattern: the highest reported month was January, while August was the lowest. EIA notes that rounding can prevent monthly values from matching the annual total exactly, so the table should be read as a reported series rather than recomputed from rounded entries. EIA, “Table CE8.12.M.2020 Monthly household site natural gas space heating consumption in the United States—totals, 2020”
Natural Gas Furnace Equipment and U.S. Home-Size Data
The 2020 RECS all-homes space-heating table covered 123.53 million U.S. homes. It estimated that 117.74 million homes used space-heating equipment, 3.92 million had equipment but did not use it, and 1.87 million did not have space-heating equipment. EIA, “Table HC6.9 Space heating in U.S. homes, by home size, 2020”
Natural gas was the main fuel in 62.71 million homes. Within that group, natural-gas central warm-air furnaces served 53.26 million homes, steam or hot-water systems served 6.51 million, and built-in room heaters served 2.77 million.
These are equipment categories among homes using natural gas as the main heating fuel, not all homes with any gas appliance. EIA, “Table HC6.9 Space heating in U.S. homes, by home size, 2020”
| Home size | U.S. homes using natural gas as main heating fuel, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Below 1,000 square feet | 11.46 million |
| 1,000–1,499 square feet | 13.09 million |
| 1,500–1,999 square feet | 12.16 million |
| 2,000–2,499 square feet | 8.98 million |
| 2,500–2,999 square feet | 6.51 million |
| 3,000 square feet or more | 10.51 million |
The source presents these as RECS home-size bands, and the bands should be interpreted only within their stated square-foot ranges. They are not a substitute for comparable dwelling-type categories or a measure of energy intensity by home size. EIA, “Table HC6.9 Space heating in U.S. homes, by home size, 2020”
Natural Gas Heating Efficiency, Costs, and Policy Outlook
DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program modeled a 70,000 Btu/h furnace in a northern U.S. region using assumptions current in July 2024. The scenarios compare equipment ratings, not observed fleet averages or typical household bills.
| Furnace rating | Modeled annual use | Modeled annual energy cost | Modeled 21-year energy cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99% AFUE, best available | 502 therms | $482 | $6,885 |
| 95% AFUE, ENERGY STAR | 523 therms | $503 | $7,174 |
| 80% AFUE, less efficient | 621 therms | $597 | $8,520 |
The annual cost comparison uses DOE’s assumed federal-facility gas price of $0.961 per therm. The lifetime figures are modeled energy costs over 21 years and exclude non-energy ownership effects. DOE, “Purchasing Energy-Efficient Residential Furnaces”
DOE also estimates that residential gas furnaces accounted for approximately 19% of U.S. annual residential energy use in 2022. For standards taking effect in late 2028, DOE estimates $1.5 billion in annual utility-bill savings and $24.8 billion in consumer savings over 30 years; these are regulatory forecasts, not realized savings. DOE, “DOE Finalizes Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential Furnaces to Save Americans $1.5 Billion In Annual Utility Bills”
Natural Gas Heating Statistics in England, Wales, and the UK
Census 2021 found that mains gas was the central-heating type for 73.8% of households in England and Wales, equal to 18.3 million households. Overall, 98.5%, or 24.4 million households, reported central heating, while 1.5%, or 367,000 households, reported no central heating. ONS, “Housing, England and Wales: Census 2021”
| Geography or subgroup | Gas central heating or gas-fired main system | Period |
|---|---|---|
| UK households | 78% | Winter 2021 |
| UK households | 50% | Winter 2024 |
| Owner-occupied UK households | 53% | Winter 2024 |
| Rented UK households | 44% | Winter 2024 |
| South East England | 59% | Winter 2024 |
| England overall | 51% | Winter 2024 |
| Scotland | 48% | Winter 2024 |
| Wales | 44% | Winter 2024 |
| Northern Ireland | 31% | Winter 2024 |
The DESNZ tracker also reported portable electric-heater use rising from 3% of UK households in Winter 2021 to 17% in Winter 2024, while reported natural-gas fixed-room-heater use rose from 1% to 6%. These are weighted household survey responses about the reported main heating method, and gas fixed-room heating is distinct from gas central heating. DESNZ, “Public Attitudes Tracker: Heat and energy use in the home, Winter 2024, UK”
For England in 2023–24, around 21.2 million households, or 86%, used a gas-fired main heating system, compared with about 2 million households, or 8%, using an electrical main system. Gas-fired systems were reported by 90% of urban households and 51% of rural households, as well as 89% of owner occupiers, 83% of social renters, and 80% of private renters. English Housing Survey, “2023 to 2024: low carbon technologies in English homes”
An ONS EPC analysis found that 80% of analyzed dwellings in England and Wales used mains gas for central heating as of March 2023. The North East had the highest cited share at 89%, London the lowest among English regions and Wales at 70%, and community heating accounted for 18% of London dwellings, around eight times the share of any other English region. ONS, “Energy efficiency of housing in England and Wales”
Finally, 0.9% of England and Wales households, or 233,000, used at least one renewable energy source for central heating in 2021. The renewable source could have been combined with another heating type, so this is not necessarily an exclusive replacement measure. ONS, “Housing, England and Wales: Census 2021”