Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Ohio, used by 3,119,789 or 64.85% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Ohio homeowners is electricity, used by 1,213,218 homes (25.22%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (272,855), heating oil (100,023), wood (81,253), and other fuels (75,025).

Ohio Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Ohio Households	% of Households
Natural Gas	3.1M	64.85%
Electricity	1.2M	25.22%
Propane	272,855	5.67%
Heating Oil	100,023	2.08%
Wood	81,253	1.69%
Other Fuels	43,475	0.90%
No Fuel	27,402	0.57%
Coal	3,017	0.06%
Solar	1,131	0.02%

Natural gas (64.85)

Electricity (25.22)

Propane (5.67)

Heating oil (2.08)

Wood (1.69)

Other fuels (0.90)

No fuel (0.57)

Coal (0.06)

Solar (0.02)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Ohio

Heating oil has become less popular in Ohio. In the 9 years since 2013, the number of heating oil homes fell from 125,428 to 100,023, a 20.25% drop.

Ohio Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	141,038
2012	132,252
2013	125,428
2014	119,022
2015	113,013
2016	107,419
2017	104,197
2018	101,487
2019	99,323
2020	95,712
2021	92,977
2022	100,023

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Ohio

Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 244,858 to 272,855.

Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 3,060,863 to 3,119,789.

Electricity use for home heating in Ohio

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Ohio. Since 2013, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 983,587 to 1,213,218, a 23.35% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Ohio

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, 1,131 homes in Ohio are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 23.61% increase from 2013, when only 915 homes had installed active solar heating.

Ohio Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Ohio homeowners purchased a total of 63 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Ohio’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 Ohio, the average outside temperature was 12.0° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Ohio Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	49.2° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	37.2° F

Ohio Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Ohio homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 372 heating oil companies that serve Ohio 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 Ohio. 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 Ohio 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 Ohio include American Heating and Air Conditioning and Cincinnati Heating and Air Conditioning.

Ohio Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Ohio: 372 companies

Average Number Of Ohio Homes Served Per Company: 268 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Ohio Oil Company: 170,290 gallons per year

Ohio Heating Oil Delivery Overview

Approximately 70,902 households in Ohio heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Ohio temperatures drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

1% of Ohio Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Ohio Households	Ohio Heating Oil Households
3.8M	70,902

372 Ohio Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 63 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Ohio homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Ohio community relies on its 372 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 Ohio, two of the closest terminals are Citgo in Linden, NJ and Citgo in Linden, NJ. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Ohio.