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

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

Virginia Beach County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach County

Heating oil has become less popular in Virginia Beach County. In the 11 years since 2011, the number of heating oil homes fell from 228,988 to 129,907, a 43.27% drop.

Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach County

Between 2011 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 140,879 to 153,698.

Between 2011 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,031,157 to 1,101,616.

Electricity use for home heating in Virginia Beach County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Virginia Beach County. Since 2011, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,490,462 to 1,887,993, a 26.67% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 518.20% increase from 2011, when only 445 homes had installed active solar heating.

Virginia Beach County Heating Oil Trends

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

Short Term Trends

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

Virginia Beach County Average Winter Temperature

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

Virginia Beach County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Virginia Beach County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 70 heating oil companies that serve Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach County include Air Conditioning Specialists and Bogue Oil.

Virginia Beach County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Virginia Beach County: 70 companies

Average Number Of Virginia Beach County Homes Served Per Company: 38 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Virginia Beach County Oil Company: 23,538 gallons per year

Virginia Beach County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

2,728 households in Virginia Beach County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Virginia Beach County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

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

Virginia Beach County Households	Virginia Beach County Heating Oil Households
182,088	2,728

70 Virginia Beach County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 2 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Virginia Beach County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Virginia Beach County community relies on its 70 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 Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach County.