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Cities In Maryland with Local Oil Prices

Maryland Heating Oil Price Trends

Updated on November 8, 2024 at 12:00 AM

Time HorizonPrice Change
1 Month Trend+$0.15
1 Year Trend-$1.077

Maryland Heating Oil Price History

Updated on November 8, 2024 at 12:00 AM

DateAverage Oil Price
11/08/2024$3.400
11/07/2024$3.400
11/06/2024$3.400
11/05/2024$3.400
11/04/2024$3.400
11/01/2024$3.400
10/31/2024$3.400
10/30/2024$3.400
10/29/2024$3.400
10/28/2024$3.400
10/25/2024$3.400
10/24/2024$3.400
10/23/2024$3.400
10/22/2024$3.400
10/21/2024$3.400
10/18/2024$3.400
10/17/2024$3.400
10/16/2024$3.400
10/15/2024$3.400
10/14/2024$3.400
10/11/2024$3.400
10/10/2024$3.400
10/09/2024$3.400
10/08/2024$3.250
10/07/2024$3.250
10/04/2024$3.250
10/03/2024$3.250
10/02/2024$3.250
10/01/2024$3.250
09/30/2024$3.250

Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Maryland Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Maryland, used by 921,991 or 48.53% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Maryland homeowners is electricity, used by 782,933 homes (41.21%). The remaining homes are heated with heating oil (117,819), propane (49,257), no fuel (15,618), and other fuels (30,511).

Maryland Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

FuelMaryland Households % of Households
Natural Gas921,99148.5%
Electricity782,93341.2%
Heating Oil117,8196.2%
Propane49,2572.6%
No Fuel15,6180.8%
Wood11,8480.6%
Other Fuels11,0020.6%
Solar7,0740.4%
Coal5870.0%

Natural gas (48.5%)

Electricity (41.2%)

Heating oil (6.2%)

Propane (2.6%)

No fuel (0.8%)

Wood (0.6%)

Other fuels (0.6%)

Solar (0.4%)

Coal (0.0%)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Maryland

Heating oil has become less popular in Maryland. In the 5 years since 2017, the number of heating oil homes fell from 132,754 to 117,819, a 11.25% drop.

Maryland Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

YearHeating Oil Households
2011165,187
2012159,528
2013152,479
2014148,002
2015141,123
2016136,577
2017132,754
2018126,139
2019121,985
2020116,353
2021115,763
2022117,819

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Maryland

Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 37,274 to 49,257.

Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 869,229 to 921,991.

Electricity use for home heating in Maryland

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Maryland. Since 2017, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 671,875 to 782,933, a 16.53% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Maryland

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, 7,074 homes in Maryland are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 241.24% increase from 2017, when only 2,073 homes had installed active solar heating.

Maryland Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Maryland homeowners purchased a total of 92 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Maryland’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 Maryland, the average outside temperature was 11.7° F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Maryland Average Winter Temperature

Heating SeasonAverage Temperature
Winter 2023 - 202431.2° F
Winter 2022 - 202342.9° F

Maryland Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Maryland homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 51 heating oil companies that serve Maryland 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 8 “full-service” oil companies that serve Maryland. Full service companies such as Petro Home Services or Watkins Fuel Company 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 Maryland 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 Maryland include H F Horney Inc and Maryland Oil Company.

Maryland Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Maryland: 51 companies

Average Number Of Maryland Homes Served Per Company: 3,494 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Maryland Oil Company: 1,800,842 gallons per year

Maryland Heating Oil Delivery Overview

Approximately 162,382 households in Maryland heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Maryland temperatures drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

7% of Maryland Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Maryland HouseholdsMaryland Heating Oil Households
2.2M162,382

51 Maryland Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 92 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Maryland homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Maryland community relies on its 51 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 Maryland, two of the closest terminals are Buckeye in Baltimore, MD and Citgo in Baltimore, MD. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Maryland.