WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:
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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30: HEATING SEASON IS HERE
Profile America - Sunday, October 30th. Unless you live in the deep South or Hawaii, the home heating season is here again. As the weather gets chilly, people in many parts of the country, concerned about rising energy costs, will be keeping a close eye on the thermostat. Most homes in the U.S. have central heating, and nearly six-out-of-10 are equipped with a warm-air furnace. Just over one-third have a heat pump, and 7 percent use another source as a heating system. The most popular heating fuel is by far natural gas, found in just over half the homes in the country. Another four-in-10 homes heat with electricity. Fuel oil, while still important in New England, heats less than one-in-10 houses nationally. Coal and wood, which once provided warmth to a majority of Americans, are now used in less than 2 percent of homes. Profile America is in its 15th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Sources: Statistical Abstract of the United States 2011, t. 966
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2011, t. 156, 615
Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).
SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau
