Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Harford County, used by 1,036,714 or 43.77% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Harford 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).

Harford County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Harford 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 Harford County

Heating oil has become less popular in Harford County. In the 3 years since 2019, the number of heating oil homes fell from 186,662 to 178,203, a 4.53% drop.

Harford 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 Harford County

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 76,318 to 89,874.

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 967,736 to 1,036,714.

Electricity use for home heating in Harford County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Harford County. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 919,105 to 1,018,912, a 10.86% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Harford 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 Harford County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 82.40% increase from 2019, when only 4,988 homes had installed active solar heating.

Harford County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Harford County homeowners purchased a total of 4 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Harford 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 Harford County, the average outside temperature was 3.0° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Harford County Average Winter Temperature

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

Harford County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Harford County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 49 heating oil companies that serve Harford 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 27 “full-service” oil companies that serve Harford County. Full service companies such as Petro Home Services or Watkins Fuel Company 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 Harford 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 Harford County include Carroll Home Services and H F Horney Inc.

Harford County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Harford County: 49 companies

Average Number Of Harford County Homes Served Per Company: 165 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Harford County Oil Company: 85,238 gallons per year

Harford County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

8,104 households in Harford County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Harford County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

10% of Harford County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Harford County Households	Harford County Heating Oil Households
78,265	8,104

369 Harford County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 4 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Harford County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Harford County community relies on its 369 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 Harford County, two of the closest terminals are Apex in Baltimore, MD and Motiva in Baltimore, MD. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Harford County.