Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Centre County, used by 2,698,438 or 51.75% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Centre 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).

Centre County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Centre 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 Centre County

Heating oil has become less popular in Centre County. In the 3 years since 2019, the number of heating oil homes fell from 814,213 to 786,449, a 3.41% drop.

Centre 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 Centre County

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 222,412 to 256,098.

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,599,328 to 2,698,438.

Electricity use for home heating in Centre County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Centre County. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,168,162 to 1,275,546, a 9.19% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Centre 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 Centre County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 66.79% increase from 2019, when only 2,454 homes had installed active solar heating.

Centre County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Centre County homeowners purchased a total of 7 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Centre County Average Winter Temperature

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

Centre County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Centre County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 21 heating oil companies that serve Centre 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 Centre 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 Centre 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 Centre County include C S Myers & Son Inc and Stanley C. Bierly.

Centre County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Centre County: 21 companies

Average Number Of Centre County Homes Served Per Company: 535 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Centre County Oil Company: 345,444 gallons per year

Centre County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

11,242 households in Centre County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Centre County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

21% of Centre County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Centre County Households	Centre County Heating Oil Households
52,483	11,242

233 Centre County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 7 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Centre County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Centre County community relies on its 233 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 Centre County, two of the closest terminals are Etmt in Altoona, PA and Lucknow in El Dorado, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Centre County.