Date	Average 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
11/03/2024	$3.400
11/02/2024	$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
10/27/2024	$3.400
10/26/2024	$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
10/20/2024	$3.400
10/19/2024	$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
10/13/2024	$3.400
10/12/2024	$3.400
10/11/2024	$3.400
10/10/2024	$3.400

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

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Howard County, used by 1,036,714 or 43.77% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Howard County homeowners is electricity, used by 1,018,912 homes (43.02%). The remaining homes are heated with heating oil (178,203), propane (89,874), wood (27,892), and other fuels (45,552).

Howard County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Howard County Households	% of Households
Natural Gas	1.0M	43.8%
Electricity	1.0M	43.0%
Heating Oil	178,203	7.5%
Propane	89,874	3.8%
Wood	27,892	1.2%
No Fuel	18,911	0.8%
Other Fuels	16,016	0.7%
Solar	9,098	0.4%
Coal	1,527	0.1%

Natural gas (43.8%)

Electricity (43.0%)

Heating oil (7.5%)

Propane (3.8%)

Wood (1.2%)

No fuel (0.8%)

Other fuels (0.7%)

Solar (0.4%)

Coal (0.1%)

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

Heating oil has become less popular in Howard County. In the 11 years since 2011, the number of heating oil homes fell from 246,964 to 178,203, a 27.84% drop.

Howard County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	246,964
2012	239,039
2013	228,525
2014	222,212
2015	212,903
2016	207,818
2017	201,205
2018	193,194
2019	186,662
2020	179,727
2021	176,310
2022	178,203

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

Between 2011 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 69,487 to 89,874.

Between 2011 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 956,156 to 1,036,714.

Electricity use for home heating in Howard County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Howard County. Since 2011, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 813,918 to 1,018,912, a 25.19% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Howard 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, 9,098 homes in Howard County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 2725.47% increase from 2011, when only 322 homes had installed active solar heating.

Howard County Heating Oil Trends

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

Short Term Trends

Howard 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 Howard County, the average outside temperature was 10.0° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Howard County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2023 - 2024	49.1° F
Winter 2022 - 2023	39.1° F

Howard County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Howard County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 32 heating oil companies that serve Howard 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 51 “full-service” oil companies that serve Howard County. Full service companies such as JJ Adams Fuel Oil Co LLC or McComas Fuel Co 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 Howard 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 Howard County include Alliance Fuel Company and Maryland Oil Company.

Howard County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Howard County: 32 companies

Average Number Of Howard County Homes Served Per Company: 204 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Howard County Oil Company: 105,283 gallons per year

Howard County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

Approximately 6,537 households in Howard County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Howard County temperatures drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

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

Howard County Households	Howard County Heating Oil Households
148,047	6,537

245 Howard County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 3 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Howard County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Howard County community relies on its 245 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 Howard County, two of the closest terminals are Buckeye in Baltimore, MD and Center Pt in Baltimore, MD. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Howard County.