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

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Electricity is the most popular choice in Portsmouth County, used by 1,887,993 or 56.72% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Portsmouth County homeowners is natural gas, used by 1,101,616 homes (33.09%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (153,698), heating oil (129,907), wood (65,453), and other fuels (41,045).

Portsmouth County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Portsmouth County Households	% of Households
Electricity	1.8M	56.72%
Natural Gas	1.1M	33.09%
Propane	153,698	4.62%
Heating Oil	129,907	3.90%
Wood	65,453	1.97%
No Fuel	24,314	0.73%
Other Fuels	12,489	0.38%
Solar	2,751	0.08%
Coal	1,491	0.04%

Electricity (56.72)

Natural gas (33.09)

Propane (4.62)

Heating oil (3.90)

Wood (1.97)

No fuel (0.73)

Other fuels (0.38)

Solar (0.08)

Coal (0.04)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Portsmouth County

Heating oil has become less popular in Portsmouth County. In the 9 years since 2013, the number of heating oil homes fell from 195,333 to 129,907, a 33.49% drop.

Portsmouth County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	228,988
2012	211,492
2013	195,333
2014	182,928
2015	171,696
2016	162,011
2017	154,885
2018	148,684
2019	141,997
2020	137,208
2021	128,923
2022	129,907

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

Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 136,905 to 153,698.

Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,024,496 to 1,101,616.

Electricity use for home heating in Portsmouth County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Portsmouth County. Since 2013, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,563,404 to 1,887,993, a 20.76% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Portsmouth 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, 2,751 homes in Portsmouth County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 463.73% increase from 2013, when only 488 homes had installed active solar heating.

Portsmouth County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Portsmouth County homeowners purchased a total of 251,257 gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth County, the average outside temperature was 4.3° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Portsmouth County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	48° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	43.7° F

Portsmouth County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Portsmouth County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 79 heating oil companies that serve Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth County include Air Conditioning Specialists and Bogue Oil.

Portsmouth County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Portsmouth County: 79 companies

Average Number Of Portsmouth County Homes Served Per Company: 5 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Portsmouth County Oil Company: 3,180 gallons per year

Portsmouth County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

1% of Portsmouth County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Portsmouth County Households	Portsmouth County Heating Oil Households
40,563	416

79 Portsmouth County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 251,257 gallons of heating oil delivered to Portsmouth County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Portsmouth County community relies on its 79 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 Portsmouth County, two of the closest terminals are Kinder-m2 in Richmond, VA and 1st Enrgy in Richmond, VA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Portsmouth County.