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

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

Wayne County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

FuelWayne 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 Wayne County

Heating oil has become less popular in Wayne County. In the 10 years since 2012, the number of heating oil homes fell from 1,002,121 to 786,449, a 21.52% drop.

Wayne 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 Wayne County

Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 180,287 to 256,098.

Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,537,188 to 2,698,438.

Electricity use for home heating in Wayne County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Wayne County. Since 2012, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 997,877 to 1,275,546, a 27.83% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Wayne 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 Wayne County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 249.23% increase from 2012, when only 1,172 homes had installed active solar heating.

Wayne County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Wayne County homeowners purchased a total of 3 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Wayne County Average Winter Temperature

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

Wayne County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Wayne County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 22 heating oil companies that serve Wayne 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 Wayne 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County include W V Tinklepaugh & Son Inc and B&S Oil.

Wayne County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Wayne County: 22 companies

Average Number Of Wayne County Homes Served Per Company: 210 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Wayne County Oil Company: 135,950 gallons per year

Wayne County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

4,635 households in Wayne County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Wayne County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

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

Wayne County HouseholdsWayne County Heating Oil Households
15,7064,635

137 Wayne County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 3 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Wayne County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Wayne County community relies on its 137 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 Wayne County, two of the closest terminals are Lucknow in Dupont, PA and Citgo in Vestal, NY. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Wayne County.

More Wayne County HVAC Resources