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

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

Washington County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Washington 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 Washington County

Heating oil has become less popular in Washington County. In the 10 years since 2012, the number of heating oil homes fell from 239,039 to 178,203, a 25.45% drop.

Washington 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 Washington County

Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 68,658 to 89,874.

Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 958,637 to 1,036,714.

Electricity use for home heating in Washington County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Washington County. Since 2012, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 828,515 to 1,018,912, a 22.98% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Washington 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 Washington County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 2191.69% increase from 2012, when only 397 homes had installed active solar heating.

Washington County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Washington County homeowners purchased a total of 3 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Washington County Average Winter Temperature

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

Washington County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Washington County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 15 heating oil companies that serve Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington County include Dave's Cooling & Heating and B&E Services.

Washington County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Washington County: 15 companies

Average Number Of Washington County Homes Served Per Company: 430 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Washington County Oil Company: 221,993 gallons per year

Washington County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

6,461 households in Washington County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Washington County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

16% of Washington County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Washington County Households	Washington County Heating Oil Households
39,963	6,461

15 Washington County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 3 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Washington County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Washington County community relies on its 15 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 Washington County, two of the closest terminals are Lucknow in Mechanicsburg, PA and Sunoco in Mechanicsburg, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Washington County.