U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for February 8

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8: WATCHING THE THERMOSTAT

Profile America — Wednesday, February 8th.  Regardless of whether the groundhog saw his shadow last week — it's still cold over much of the nation's landscape — and that means keeping the heat on and also keeping an eye on the thermostat for a balance of being comfortable and holding down costs.  Across the U.S., just over half of all homes are heated by gas.  Electricity is the second most popular fuel, used in just over a third of homes.  Fuel oil and kerosene heat just about 8 percent of U.S. houses, mostly in the Northeastern states and Alaska.  Because of its ideal climate, many homes in Hawaii do not even have heating systems.  However, new rules require all new homes there to have solar hot water systems.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources:  Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 1001

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