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

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Electricity is the most popular choice in Richmond County, used by 1,887,993 or 56.72% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Richmond 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).

Richmond County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Richmond 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 Richmond County

Heating oil has become less popular in Richmond County. In the 6 years since 2016, the number of heating oil homes fell from 162,011 to 129,907, a 19.82% drop.

Richmond 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 Richmond County

Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 138,217 to 153,698.

Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,031,638 to 1,101,616.

Electricity use for home heating in Richmond County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Richmond County. Since 2016, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,654,016 to 1,887,993, a 14.15% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Richmond 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 Richmond County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 265.34% increase from 2016, when only 753 homes had installed active solar heating.

Richmond County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Richmond County homeowners purchased a total of 5 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Richmond County Average Winter Temperature

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

Richmond County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Richmond County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 26 heating oil companies that serve Richmond 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 1 “full-service” oil companies that serve Richmond County. Full service companies such as Hungerford Heating & Cooling 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 Richmond 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 Richmond County include Hanover Air Systems and Blazer Heating, Air, & Plumbing.

Richmond County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Richmond County: 26 companies

Average Number Of Richmond County Homes Served Per Company: 310 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Richmond County Oil Company: 187,351 gallons per year

Richmond County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

8,065 households in Richmond County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Richmond County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

4% of Richmond County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Richmond County Households	Richmond County Heating Oil Households
175,854	8,065

26 Richmond County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 5 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Richmond County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Richmond County community relies on its 26 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 Richmond County, two of the closest terminals are 1st Enrgy in Richmond, VA and Kinder-m2 in Richmond, VA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Richmond County.