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Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Frederick County Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Frederick County, used by 1,036,714 or 43.77% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Frederick County homeowners is electricity, used by 1,018,912 homes (43.02%). The remaining homes are heated with heating oil (178,203), propane (89,874), wood (27,892), and other fuels (45,552).

Frederick County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Frederick County Households	% of Households
Natural Gas	1.0M	43.77%
Electricity	1.0M	43.02%
Heating Oil	178,203	7.52%
Propane	89,874	3.79%
Wood	27,892	1.18%
No Fuel	18,911	0.80%
Other Fuels	16,016	0.68%
Solar	9,098	0.38%
Coal	1,527	0.06%

Natural gas (43.77)

Electricity (43.02)

Heating oil (7.52)

Propane (3.79)

Wood (1.18)

No fuel (0.80)

Other fuels (0.68)

Solar (0.38)

Coal (0.06)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Frederick County

Heating oil has become less popular in Frederick County. In the 5 years since 2017, the number of heating oil homes fell from 201,205 to 178,203, a 11.43% drop.

Frederick County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	246,964
2012	239,039
2013	228,525
2014	222,212
2015	212,903
2016	207,818
2017	201,205
2018	193,194
2019	186,662
2020	179,727
2021	176,310
2022	178,203

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Frederick County

Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 72,677 to 89,874.

Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 966,084 to 1,036,714.

Electricity use for home heating in Frederick County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Frederick County. Since 2017, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 885,470 to 1,018,912, a 15.07% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Frederick County

Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all space heating fuels. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid is circulated between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank in the basement.

Currently, 9,098 homes in Frederick County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 251.55% increase from 2017, when only 2,588 homes had installed active solar heating.

Frederick County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Frederick County homeowners purchased a total of 791,114 gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Frederick County’s overall heating oil use varies from year to year, primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ heating systems need to burn more and more oil to keep homes warm. Last winter in Frederick County, the average outside temperature was 3.0° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Frederick County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	49° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	46° F

Frederick County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Frederick County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 38 heating oil companies that serve Frederick County is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 0 “full-service” oil companies that serve Frederick County. Full service companies such as undefined or undefined offer automatic fuel delivery and furnace repair under a single roof.

Discount Oil Companies: Also known by the names “COD Fuel Companies” or “Cash Heating Oil Companies”, these companies are for the budget-conscious Frederick County homeowner. In return for better prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank and place an order when you run low on oil. Examples of cash heating oil companies that serve Frederick County include Dave's Cooling & Heating and N. E. Bob Waltz Plumbing & Heating.

Frederick County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Frederick County: 38 companies

Average Number Of Frederick County Homes Served Per Company: 40 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Frederick County Oil Company: 20,818 gallons per year

Frederick County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

1,535 households in Frederick County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Frederick County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

13% of Frederick County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Frederick County Households	Frederick County Heating Oil Households
10,966	1,535

75 Frederick County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 791,114 gallons of heating oil delivered to Frederick County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Frederick County community relies on its 75 oil companies to keep warm.

Oil delivery is a two step process: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal. In the case of Frederick County, two of the closest terminals are Apex in Baltimore, MD and Center Pt in Baltimore, MD. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Frederick County.