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

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

Snyder County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

FuelSnyder County Households % of Households
Natural Gas2.6M51.75%
Electricity1.2M24.46%
Heating Oil786,44915.08%
Propane256,0984.91%
Wood122,4352.35%
Coal51,5310.99%
Other Fuels50,5060.97%
No Fuel33,3560.64%
Solar4,0930.08%

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 Snyder County

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

Snyder County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

YearHeating Oil Households
20111.0M
20121.0M
2013963,754
2014930,735
2015899,276
2016864,952
2017843,020
2018828,104
2019814,213
2020811,086
2021790,823
2022786,449

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

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Snyder 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 Snyder 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 Snyder 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.

Snyder County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Snyder County homeowners purchased a total of 2 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Snyder County Average Winter Temperature

Heating SeasonAverage Temperature
Winter 2022 - 202341.3° F
Winter 2021 - 202236.6° F

Snyder County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Snyder County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 10 heating oil companies that serve Snyder 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 Snyder 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 Snyder 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 Snyder County include Millers Gas & Oil Service Inc and Kratzer Oil Co Inc.

Snyder County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Snyder County: 10 companies

Average Number Of Snyder County Homes Served Per Company: 360 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Snyder County Oil Company: 232,433 gallons per year

Snyder County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

3,602 households in Snyder County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Snyder County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

29% of Snyder County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Snyder County HouseholdsSnyder County Heating Oil Households
12,0833,602

67 Snyder County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 2 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Snyder County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Snyder County community relies on its 67 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 Snyder County, two of the closest terminals are Spmt in Northumberland, PA and Lucknow in Northumberland, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Snyder County.

Heating Oil Near You In These Adjacent Counties

More Snyder County HVAC Resources