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

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

Wicomico County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Wicomico 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 Wicomico County

Heating oil has become less popular in Wicomico County. In the 4 years since 2018, the number of heating oil homes fell from 193,194 to 178,203, a 7.76% drop.

Wicomico 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 Wicomico County

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 75,006 to 89,874.

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 967,637 to 1,036,714.

Electricity use for home heating in Wicomico County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Wicomico County. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 901,382 to 1,018,912, a 13.04% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Wicomico 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 Wicomico County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 153.57% increase from 2018, when only 3,588 homes had installed active solar heating.

Wicomico County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Wicomico County homeowners purchased a total of 1 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Wicomico County Average Winter Temperature

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

Wicomico County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Wicomico County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 12 heating oil companies that serve Wicomico 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 Wicomico 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 Wicomico 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 Wicomico County include Area Heating & Air Cond. and A B C Refrigeration.

Wicomico County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Wicomico County: 12 companies

Average Number Of Wicomico County Homes Served Per Company: 181 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Wicomico County Oil Company: 93,713 gallons per year

Wicomico County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

2,182 households in Wicomico County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Wicomico County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

8% of Wicomico County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Wicomico County Households	Wicomico County Heating Oil Households
27,225	2,182

12 Wicomico County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 1 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Wicomico County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Wicomico County community relies on its 12 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 Wicomico County, two of the closest terminals are Sunoco in Salisbury, MD and Buckeye in Baltimore, MD. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Wicomico County.