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

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

Philadelphia County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia County

Heating oil has become less popular in Philadelphia County. In the 8 years since 2014, the number of heating oil homes fell from 930,735 to 786,449, a 15.50% drop.

Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia County

Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 189,112 to 256,098.

Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,529,063 to 2,698,438.

Electricity use for home heating in Philadelphia County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Philadelphia County. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,050,178 to 1,275,546, a 21.46% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 221.78% increase from 2014, when only 1,272 homes had installed active solar heating.

Philadelphia County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Philadelphia County homeowners purchased a total of 14 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Philadelphia County Average Winter Temperature

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

Philadelphia County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Philadelphia County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 162 heating oil companies that serve Philadelphia 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 12 “full-service” oil companies that serve Philadelphia County. Full service companies such as IT Landes or InterCounty Oil Services Inc 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 Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia County include J & N Heating & Air and Accutech Mechanical Services.

Philadelphia County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Philadelphia County: 162 companies

Average Number Of Philadelphia County Homes Served Per Company: 134 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Philadelphia County Oil Company: 86,632 gallons per year

Philadelphia County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

21,749 households in Philadelphia County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Philadelphia County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

3% of Philadelphia County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Philadelphia County Households	Philadelphia County Heating Oil Households
682,644	21,749

162 Philadelphia County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 14 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Philadelphia County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Philadelphia County community relies on its 162 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 Philadelphia County, two of the closest terminals are Buckeye in Pennsauken, NJ and Pbf S in Philadelphia, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Philadelphia County.