Heating equipment statistics show how households and commercial buildings heat occupied space, which fuels and technologies dominate, what heating costs looked like in 2020, and how equipment-related fires affected U.S. homes. The newest detailed national residential stock data here is from the 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), while the commercial-building equipment data comes from the 2018 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS).
Key Heating Equipment Statistics
The following figures summarize the most useful national, state, commercial-building, cost, and safety measures:
- In 2020, 117.74 million U.S. primary occupied homes used space-heating equipment.
- In 2020, 3.92 million U.S. primary occupied homes had space-heating equipment but did not use it.
- In 2020, 1.87 million U.S. primary occupied homes did not have space-heating equipment.
- In 2020, 74.42 million U.S. homes used central warm-air furnaces as their main heating equipment.
- In 2020, 16.13 million U.S. homes used heat pumps as their main heating equipment.
- In 2020, 62.71 million U.S. homes used natural gas as their main space-heating fuel.
- In 2020, 42.57 million U.S. homes used electricity as their main space-heating fuel.
- In 2020, space heating represented 42% of U.S. residential-sector energy consumption.
- Between 2015 and 2020, residential heat-pump prevalence rose 50% to almost 18 million units in the U.S.
- In 2022, Americans bought about 4 million residential heat pumps.
- In 2020, 1.95 million Texas homes had a central heat pump as their main heating equipment.
- In 2020, 2.65 million New York homes had a central heat pump as their main heating equipment.
- In 2018, space heating was an energy end use in 4.901 million U.S. commercial buildings.
- In 2018, commercial-building floorspace totaled 96,423 million square feet in the U.S.
- In 2020, U.S. households spent an average of $519 on space heating.
- During 2016–2020, heating equipment was involved in an average of 44,210 U.S. home fires per year.
- During 2016–2020, heating-equipment home fires caused an average of 480 civilian deaths per year.
- During 2016–2020, heating-equipment home fires caused an average of $1.059 billion in direct damage per year.
Contents
- U.S. residential heating equipment stock and use
- Residential heating fuels and energy demand
- Heat-pump adoption and shipment trends
- Commercial-building heating equipment data
- Heating costs and energy-use outcomes
- Heating-equipment safety outcomes
U.S. Residential Heating Equipment Statistics: Stock and Use
The 2020 RECS counted 123.53 million primary occupied U.S. homes. Of these, 117.74 million used space-heating equipment, while 3.92 million had equipment but did not use it and 1.87 million did not have space-heating equipment; the source notes that scope and rounding limitations apply.
These are survey measures, not a current-year inventory.
The main equipment categories were distributed as follows in 2020:
| Main equipment | U.S. homes, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Central warm-air furnaces | 74.42 million |
| Heat pumps | 16.13 million |
| Steam or hot-water systems | 9.29 million |
| Built-in electric units | 7.65 million |
| Built-in oil or gas room heaters | 3.49 million |
| Portable electric heaters | 3.03 million |
| Ductless heat pumps | 1.06 million |
Source: 2020 RECS Technical Documentation. The displayed equipment categories and counts are subject to the source’s scope and rounding limitations.
Residential Heating Fuel Statistics and Energy Demand
Fuel choice provides a second view of the residential heating market. In 2020, natural gas was the main space-heating fuel for 62.71 million homes, and electricity was the main fuel for 42.57 million homes.
| Main heating fuel | U.S. homes, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Natural gas | 62.71 million |
| Electricity | 42.57 million |
| Propane | 5.21 million |
| Fuel oil or kerosene | 4.93 million |
| Wood | 2.25 million |
| No heating equipment as the main arrangement | 5.79 million estimated |
Source: 2020 RECS Technical Documentation. The 5.79 million figure is an estimate, and source scope and rounding limitations apply.
Space heating accounted for 42% of residential-sector energy consumption in 2020, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Regional fuel patterns also varied: Midwestern households used natural gas as their primary heating fuel at a 70% rate in 2020.
Both figures are tied to the 2020 measurement period and should not be read as 2026 estimates.
Source: Space heating consumed the most energy of any end use in homes, according to latest data.
Heat-Pump Adoption and Shipment Trends
Heat-pump adoption grew over the 2015–2020 period covered by the Department of Energy summary. Residential heat-pump prevalence rose 50%, reaching almost 18 million units in the United States; the figure is approximate rather than a precise equipment census.
The same DOE source reports that Americans bought about 4 million residential heat pumps in 2022. This is an approximate market figure for units sold, so it should not be compared directly with the 2020 stock estimate as if both measured the same population or concept.
State-level RECS data show how adoption differed among occupied homes. Texas had 1.95 million homes with a central heat pump as their main heating equipment in 2020, equal to 19% of the state’s 10.26 million occupied homes.
New York had 2.65 million such homes, equal to 35% of its 7.52 million occupied homes.
| State | Central heat-pump homes, 2020 | Share of occupied homes |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 1.95 million | 19% of 10.26 million |
| New York | 2.65 million | 35% of 7.52 million |
Source: Highlights for space heating in U.S. homes by state, 2020. The percentages include all homes, while displayed equipment counts exclude homes with no space heating or other equipment.
Sources: Residential Heat Pump Sales Fuel Improved Training Standards with Guidance from DOE and Highlights for space heating in U.S. homes by state, 2020. The DOE market figures are approximate.
Commercial-Building Heating Equipment Data
The 2018 CBECS estimated 5.918 million U.S. commercial buildings, with commercial-building floorspace totaling 96,423 million square feet. Space heating was an energy end use in 4.901 million commercial buildings, so the building count and floorspace measures describe broad commercial coverage rather than a single equipment inventory.
Equipment categories were reported across floorspace, and more than one equipment type may apply to a building or area:
| Equipment or heating source | Commercial floorspace, 2018 |
|---|---|
| Packaged heating units | 48,064 million sq. ft. |
| Boilers | 28,831 million sq. ft. |
| Individual space heaters | 21,122 million sq. ft. |
| Heat pumps | 15,110 million sq. ft. |
| District heat | 6,547 million sq. ft. |
| Natural gas as primary source | 50,060 million sq. ft. |
| Electricity as primary source | 27,618 million sq. ft. |
Source: Table B5. Census region and division, floorspace, 2018. CBECS equipment and floorspace values can overlap and are not unique-building counts.
Heat pumps were used by nearly one-quarter of commercial buildings heated only by electricity in 2018. In cold or very cold commercial climate zones, furnaces were the most common equipment, appearing in 44% of heated buildings.
Sources: Less than one-third of U.S. commercial buildings were all-electric in 2018 and Heating U.S. commercial buildings is most energy intensive in cold climates. The nearly one-quarter measure applies only to all-electric commercial buildings.
Heating Costs and Energy-Use Outcomes
Heating costs differed substantially by location and primary fuel in 2020. The national household average was $519 in 2020 dollars, while the state and fuel-specific estimates below are conditional averages for the named populations.
| Population or fuel | Average space-heating cost, 2020 |
|---|---|
| All U.S. households | $519 per household |
| New Hampshire households | $981 per household |
| Louisiana households | $244 per household |
| Fuel-oil or kerosene-heated households | $1,164 per household |
| Propane-heated households | $1,010 per household |
| Natural-gas-heated households | $519 per household |
| Electric-heated households | $396 per household |
Source: Space heating consumed the most energy of any end use in homes, according to latest data. These are 2020-dollar estimates, not 2026 costs; fuel-specific figures are conditional averages.
Energy use also varied by state and fuel. Michigan households using natural gas averaged 72.7 million Btu of natural-gas space-heating use in 2020.
The measure applies to Michigan natural-gas households and is not a national average.
Heating-Equipment Safety Statistics
National fire estimates from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) cover U.S. home fires reported to municipal fire departments during 2016–2020. They exclude federal, state, and industrial fire brigades, and the figures are rounded estimates.
| Outcome | 2016–2020 annual average |
|---|---|
| Home fires involving heating equipment | 44,210 per year |
| Civilian deaths | 480 per year |
| Civilian injuries | 1,370 per year |
| Direct damage | $1.059 billion per year in 2020 dollars |
| Fires in single-family year-round homes | 20,020 per year |
| January heating-equipment fires | 8,080 per year, or 18% |
Source: Home Heating Fires. Civilian casualties exclude firefighters, and monthly estimates are rounded.
The NFPA’s 2020 single-year estimate was 42,000 home fires, 400 civilian deaths, 1,400 injuries, and $1.061 billion in damage. Across the 2016–2020 period, non-confined heating-equipment fires averaged 24,120 per year versus 20,090 confined fires; NFPA defines confined categories separately.
These safety figures describe reported fire outcomes, not the failure rate of a particular furnace, heat pump, heater, or boiler. They also should not be interpreted as a forecast beyond the stated periods.