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

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Mercer County, used by 2,618,092 or 74.00% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Mercer County homeowners is electricity, used by 532,344 homes (15.05%). The remaining homes are heated with heating oil (258,381), propane (91,132), no fuel (30,011), and other fuels (40,620).

Mercer County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

FuelMercer County Households % of Households
Natural Gas2.6M74.00%
Electricity532,34415.05%
Heating Oil258,3817.30%
Propane91,1322.58%
No Fuel30,0110.85%
Other Fuels19,8130.56%
Wood12,5020.35%
Solar7,3340.21%
Coal9710.03%

Natural gas (74.00)

Electricity (15.05)

Heating oil (7.30)

Propane (2.58)

No fuel (0.85)

Other fuels (0.56)

Wood (0.35)

Solar (0.21)

Coal (0.03)

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

Heating oil has become less popular in Mercer County. In the 8 years since 2014, the number of heating oil homes fell from 353,791 to 258,381, a 26.97% drop.

Mercer County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

YearHeating Oil Households
2011420,231
2012397,731
2013374,390
2014353,791
2015336,160
2016314,964
2017298,525
2018284,056
2019271,250
2020260,383
2021256,421
2022258,381

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

Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 61,808 to 91,132.

Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,364,588 to 2,618,092.

Electricity use for home heating in Mercer County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Mercer County. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 371,797 to 532,344, a 43.18% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Mercer 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, 7,334 homes in Mercer County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 678.56% increase from 2014, when only 942 homes had installed active solar heating.

Mercer County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Mercer County homeowners purchased a total of 6 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Mercer 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 Mercer County, the average outside temperature was 5.2° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Mercer County Average Winter Temperature

Heating SeasonAverage Temperature
Winter 2022 - 202347.2° F
Winter 2021 - 202242° F

Mercer County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Mercer County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 91 heating oil companies that serve Mercer 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 13 “full-service” oil companies that serve Mercer County. Full service companies such as PFO Heating & Air Conditioning or PFO Heating & Air Conditioning 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 Mercer 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 Mercer County include Service First Heating & Cooling Inc and E & S Heating & Cooling LLC.

Mercer County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Mercer County: 91 companies

Average Number Of Mercer County Homes Served Per Company: 103 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Mercer County Oil Company: 68,308 gallons per year

Mercer County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

9,459 households in Mercer County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Mercer County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

6% of Mercer County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Mercer County HouseholdsMercer County Heating Oil Households
147,4209,459

565 Mercer County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 6 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Mercer County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Mercer County community relies on its 565 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 Mercer County, two of the closest terminals are Buckeye in Buckeye, NJ and Meenan in Tullytown, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Mercer County.

More Mercer County HVAC Resources