Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Allegheny County, used by 2,698,438 or 51.75% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Allegheny County homeowners is electricity, used by 1,275,546 homes (24.46%). The remaining homes are heated with heating oil (786,449), propane (256,098), wood (122,435), and other fuels (139,486).

Allegheny County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Allegheny County Households	% of Households
Natural Gas	2.6M	51.75%
Electricity	1.2M	24.46%
Heating Oil	786,449	15.08%
Propane	256,098	4.91%
Wood	122,435	2.35%
Coal	51,531	0.99%
Other Fuels	50,506	0.97%
No Fuel	33,356	0.64%
Solar	4,093	0.08%

Natural gas (51.75)

Electricity (24.46)

Heating oil (15.08)

Propane (4.91)

Wood (2.35)

Coal (0.99)

Other fuels (0.97)

No fuel (0.64)

Solar (0.08)

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

Heating oil has become less popular in Allegheny County. In the 6 years since 2016, the number of heating oil homes fell from 864,952 to 786,449, a 9.08% drop.

Allegheny County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	1.0M
2012	1.0M
2013	963,754
2014	930,735
2015	899,276
2016	864,952
2017	843,020
2018	828,104
2019	814,213
2020	811,086
2021	790,823
2022	786,449

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

Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 200,609 to 256,098.

Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,539,902 to 2,698,438.

Electricity use for home heating in Allegheny County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Allegheny County. Since 2016, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,093,770 to 1,275,546, a 16.62% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Allegheny 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, 4,093 homes in Allegheny County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 154.86% increase from 2016, when only 1,606 homes had installed active solar heating.

Allegheny County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Allegheny County homeowners purchased a total of 4 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Allegheny 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 Allegheny County, the average outside temperature was 4.7° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Allegheny County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	41.3° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	36.6° F

Allegheny County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Allegheny County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 114 heating oil companies that serve Allegheny 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 Allegheny 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 Allegheny 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 Allegheny County include Weidner Heating & A/C and Caruso Heating and Air Conditioning.

Allegheny County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Allegheny County: 114 companies

Average Number Of Allegheny County Homes Served Per Company: 54 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Allegheny County Oil Company: 35,151 gallons per year

Allegheny County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

6,210 households in Allegheny County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Allegheny County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

1% of Allegheny County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Allegheny County Households	Allegheny County Heating Oil Households
541,492	6,210

4,341 Allegheny County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 4 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Allegheny County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Allegheny County community relies on its 4,341 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 Allegheny County, two of the closest terminals are Etmt in Blawnox, PA and Etmt in Delmont, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Allegheny County.