Total 

U.S.a

Total 

South

South 

Atlantic

Total 

West

Total 

Mountain

Mountain 

North

Mountain 

South Pacific

All homes 123.53 46.84 24.84 7.38 14.62 27.72 9.22 4.62 4.60 18.51

Fuel used by main water heater

Natural gas 59.33 14.14 5.97 2.01 6.15 17.63 5.61 3.21 2.40 12.01

Electricity 57.04 31.27 18.13 5.17 7.97 8.94 3.17 1.22 1.95 5.77

Propane 4.12 1.27 0.60 0.20 0.48 0.92 0.37 0.15 0.22 0.55

Fuel oil or kerosene 2.62 0.09 0.07 N Q 0.07 Q Q Q 0.05

Some other fuel 0.41 Q Q N N 0.17 Q Q Q 0.13

Size of main water heater

Small (30 gallons or less) 13.28 5.25 3.09 0.79 1.38 3.21 1.27 0.63 0.64 1.94

Medium (31 to 49 gallons) 55.37 19.53 10.66 3.29 5.58 11.66 3.80 1.89 1.91 7.86

Large (50 gallons or more) 46.85 19.47 9.58 2.97 6.91 10.58 3.55 1.81 1.74 7.04

Tankless 8.03 2.60 1.52 0.33 0.75 2.26 0.60 0.28 0.32 1.67

Age of main water heater

Less than 2 years old 17.65 6.80 3.64 0.96 2.19 3.95 1.66 0.78 0.88 2.29

2 to 4 years old 22.49 9.11 4.74 1.45 2.92 4.79 1.91 0.93 0.99 2.88

5 to 9 years old 38.96 15.44 7.81 2.49 5.14 7.96 2.86 1.41 1.45 5.11

10 to 14 years old 25.10 8.91 4.90 1.57 2.44 6.38 1.59 0.89 0.70 4.79

15 to 19 years old 10.35 3.69 2.13 0.50 1.06 2.51 0.73 0.37 0.36 1.78

20 years or more 8.98 2.89 1.62 0.41 0.86 2.12 0.46 0.23 0.23 1.66

Fuel used by secondary water heater

Natural gas 2.34 0.90 0.19 0.08 0.64 0.66 0.23 0.15 0.08 0.43

Electricity 2.92 1.75 0.73 0.37 0.65 0.56 0.15 0.08 0.07 0.41

Some other fuel 0.48 0.18 Q Q 0.11 0.08 Q Q Q 0.05

Does not have a secondary water 

heater 117.78 44.00 23.88 6.91 13.22 26.43 8.82 4.37 4.45 17.61

Preliminary data release date: May 2022 

Final data release date: March 2023

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Demand and Integrated Statistics, Form EIA-457A of the 2020 Residential Energy Consumption 

Survey

Notes: Because of rounding, data may not sum to totals. See RECS Terminology for the definitions of terms used in these tables.

a Total U.S. includes all primary occupied housing units in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Vacant housing units, seasonal units, second homes, military houses, 

and group quarters are excluded.

Q = Data withheld because either the relative standard error (RSE) was greater than 50% or fewer than 10 households were in the reporting sample.

N = No households in reporting sample. 

Table HC8.8 Water heating in homes in the South and West regions, 2020

Number of housing units (million)

South Census Region West Census Region

East 

South 

Central

West 

South 

Central

Mountain
Total 

U.S.a

Total 

South

South 

Atlantic

Total 

West

Total 

Mountain

Mountain 

North

Mountain 

South Pacific

All homes 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Fuel used by main water heater

Natural gas 0.75 1.97 3.09 4.31 3.25 1.13 1.76 2.18 3.15 1.61

Electricity 0.80 1.02 1.10 1.81 2.49 2.17 3.33 5.47 3.62 3.01

Propane 4.44 7.96 11.93 16.91 13.07 8.94 12.17 22.87 14.05 12.68

Fuel oil or kerosene 5.20 27.75 28.64 0.00 81.12 26.07 61.50 75.23 101.21 26.32

Some other fuel 16.08 41.13 41.13 0.00 0.00 17.76 40.42 65.38 49.68 20.95

Size of main water heater

Small (30 gallons or less) 2.50 4.32 5.89 8.91 7.06 4.84 6.48 9.65 8.76 6.48

Medium (31 to 49 gallons) 1.02 1.68 2.46 3.64 3.12 2.14 2.94 4.12 4.24 2.66

Large (50 gallons or more) 1.04 1.69 2.74 3.75 2.18 2.55 3.26 4.54 4.77 3.24

Tankless 3.52 5.43 7.45 12.46 9.54 6.75 10.24 13.91 13.64 7.64

Age of main water heater

Less than 2 years old 2.02 4.00 5.60 8.26 6.15 3.57 5.69 8.72 6.74 5.84

2 to 4 years old 1.87 2.68 4.25 5.28 4.27 3.52 4.86 7.34 7.60 4.63

5 to 9 years old 1.12 1.86 2.69 4.15 3.66 2.46 4.27 6.37 5.70 3.52

10 to 14 years old 1.66 2.89 3.76 6.19 5.68 3.27 6.18 8.24 8.91 4.00

15 to 19 years old 2.95 4.59 6.88 9.77 9.51 5.80 8.69 10.29 13.31 7.48

20 years or more 3.03 5.39 7.35 10.56 10.31 6.31 11.86 14.79 17.09 7.93

Fuel used by secondary water heater

Natural gas 5.83 8.25 21.76 27.01 9.50 10.71 10.79 15.85 23.18 15.80

Electricity 4.87 6.69 9.92 13.04 10.91 9.87 16.99 24.82 25.97 13.63

Some other fuel 12.64 17.71 32.71 49.82 26.60 31.78 57.64 84.75 72.56 31.50

Does not have a secondary water 

heater 0.17 0.29 0.33 0.77 0.65 0.35 0.40 0.71 0.56 0.48

Preliminary data release date: May 2022 

Final data release date: March 2023

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Demand and Integrated Statistics, Form EIA-457A of the 2020 Residential Energy Consumption 

Survey

Notes: See RECS Terminology for the definitions of terms used in these tables.

a Total U.S. includes all primary occupied housing units in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Vacant housing units, seasonal units, second homes, military houses, 

and group quarters are excluded. 

Relative standard errors (RSEs) for Table HC8.8 Water heating in homes in the South and West regions, 2020

RSEs for number of housing units

South Census Region West Census Region

East 

South 

Central

West 

South 

Central

Mountain