How are homes heated in Amherst, VA?

Name: Heating fuel in Amherst, VA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

Electricity is the most common heating fuel in Amherst, used by 84.0% (±9.2 points) of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

0.2% heat with utility gas.

13.2% heat with fuel oil or kerosene.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Utility gas: 0.2% (±0.6 points)
Electricity: 84.0%
Fuel oil, kerosene: 13.2%

Heating fuel in Amherst

Occupied housing units by house heating fuel, 2020–2024
Fuel used most	Amherst	Amherst County	Virginia	United States
Utility gas	0.2% (±0.6 points)	0.7%	32.3%	46.5%
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.	13.2% (±9.1 points)	4.8%	3.2%	3.9%
Electricity	84.0% (±9.2 points)	86.3%	57.5%	41.3%
Bottled or tank gas (propane)	1.5% (±1.9 points)	3.2%	4.3%	4.9%
Wood	0.0% (±4.5 points)	3.3%	1.6%	1.4%
Solar energy	0.0% (±4.5 points)	0.1%	0.2%	0.3%
Coal or coke	0.0% (±4.5 points)	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%
Other fuel	0.0% (±4.5 points)	0.4%	0.3%	0.5%
No fuel used	1.0% (±1.7 points)	1.3%	0.6%	1.2%

The survey asks which fuel is used most to heat the home, so a home with a heat pump and an oil backup is counted once, under the one it uses most.

In Amherst, the share of homes heating with fuel oil is not measurably different from Amherst County (4.8%).

It is also higher than in Virginia (3.2%).

It is higher than the national figure (3.9%).

In Amherst, the share of homes heating with electricity is not measurably different from Amherst County (86.3%).

It is also higher than in Virginia (57.5%).

It is higher than the national figure (41.3%).

Homes heated by electricity in places near Amherst

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Amherst
Place	Distance	Homes heated by electricity	Compared with this place
Amherst	—	84.0% (±9.2 points)	—
Madison Heights	9.6 mi	90.9% (±2.5 points)	Not measurably different
Lynchburg	15 mi	74.7% (±1.8 points)	Not measurably different
Concord	17 mi	78.9% (±16.8 points)	Not measurably different
Forest	19 mi	94.5% (±2.0 points)	Higher
Buena Vista	20 mi	53.9% (±6.9 points)	Lower
Appomattox	20 mi	85.2% (±6.4 points)	Not measurably different
Timberlake	21 mi	91.7% (±3.0 points)	Not measurably different
Rustburg	22 mi	84.4% (±17.2 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Buena Vista, VA (53.9%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Forest, VA (94.5%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates).

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Amherst

What is the most common way to heat a home in Amherst?

Electricity is the most common heating fuel in Amherst, used by 84.0% of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many homes in Amherst heat with oil?

13.2% (±9.1 points) of occupied homes in Amherst use fuel oil or kerosene as their main heating fuel.

How many homes in Amherst have electric heat?

84.0% (±9.2 points) of occupied homes in Amherst heat mainly with electricity, which includes heat pumps.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Amherst town, Virginia

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Amherst town, Virginia (place:01672, in state:51).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0063PE, DP04_0063PM, DP04_0066PE, DP04_0066PM, DP04_0065PE, DP04_0065PM, DP04_0064PE, DP04_0064PM, DP04_0068PE, DP04_0068PM, DP04_0069PE, DP04_0069PM, DP04_0067PE, DP04_0067PM, DP04_0070PE, DP04_0070PM, DP04_0071PE, DP04_0071PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.