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

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

Worcester County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Worcester 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 Worcester County

Heating oil has become less popular in Worcester County. In the 7 years since 2015, the number of heating oil homes fell from 212,903 to 178,203, a 16.30% drop.

Worcester 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 Worcester County

Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 70,060 to 89,874.

Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 964,345 to 1,036,714.

Electricity use for home heating in Worcester County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Worcester County. Since 2015, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 866,969 to 1,018,912, a 17.53% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Worcester 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 Worcester County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 855.67% increase from 2015, when only 952 homes had installed active solar heating.

Worcester County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Worcester County homeowners purchased a total of 183,992 gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Worcester County Average Winter Temperature

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

Worcester County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Worcester County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 10 heating oil companies that serve Worcester 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 Worcester 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 Worcester 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 Worcester County include A B C Refrigeration and Real HVAC Services.

Worcester County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Worcester County: 10 companies

Average Number Of Worcester County Homes Served Per Company: 35 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Worcester County Oil Company: 18,399 gallons per year

Worcester County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

3% of Worcester County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Worcester County Households	Worcester County Heating Oil Households
10,004	357

10 Worcester County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 183,992 gallons of heating oil delivered to Worcester County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Worcester County community relies on its 10 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 Worcester County, two of the closest terminals are Sunoco in Salisbury, MD and Pbfenergy in Delaware City, DE. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Worcester County.