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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 2,698,438 or 51.75% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Mercer 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).

Mercer County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Mercer 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 Mercer County

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

Mercer 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 Mercer 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 Mercer County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Mercer 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 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, 4,093 homes in Mercer 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.

Mercer County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Mercer County homeowners purchased a total of 348,456 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 4.7° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Mercer County Average Winter Temperature

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

Mercer County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Mercer County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 12 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 0 “full-service” oil companies that serve Mercer 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 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 BREESE HEATING and Heath Oil Inc.

Mercer County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Mercer County: 12 companies

Average Number Of Mercer County Homes Served Per Company: 45 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Mercer County Oil Company: 29,038 gallons per year

Mercer County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

540 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.

13% of Mercer County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Mercer County Households	Mercer County Heating Oil Households
4,051	540

29 Mercer County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 348,456 gallons of heating oil delivered to Mercer County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Mercer County community relies on its 29 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 Ergon in Newell, PA and Etmt in Blawnox, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Mercer County.