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

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Delaware County, used by 3,119,789 or 64.85% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Delaware County homeowners is electricity, used by 1,213,218 homes (25.22%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (272,855), heating oil (100,023), wood (81,253), and other fuels (75,025).

Delaware County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

FuelDelaware County Households % of Households
Natural Gas3.1M64.9%
Electricity1.2M25.2%
Propane272,8555.7%
Heating Oil100,0232.1%
Wood81,2531.7%
Other Fuels43,4750.9%
No Fuel27,4020.6%
Coal3,0170.1%
Solar1,1310.0%

Natural gas (64.9%)

Electricity (25.2%)

Propane (5.7%)

Heating oil (2.1%)

Wood (1.7%)

Other fuels (0.9%)

No fuel (0.6%)

Coal (0.1%)

Solar (0.0%)

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

Heating oil has become more popular in Delaware County. In the 2 years since 2020, the number of heating oil homes rose from 95,712 to 100,023, a 4.50% lift.

Delaware County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

YearHeating Oil Households
2011141,038
2012132,252
2013125,428
2014119,022
2015113,013
2016107,419
2017104,197
2018101,487
201999,323
202095,712
202192,977
2022100,023

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

Between 2020 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 255,709 to 272,855.

Between 2020 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 3,077,892 to 3,119,789.

Electricity use for home heating in Delaware County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Delaware County. Since 2020, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,143,597 to 1,213,218, a 6.09% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Delaware 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, 1,131 homes in Delaware County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 6.80% increase from 2020, when only 1,059 homes had installed active solar heating.

Delaware County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Delaware County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 6 heating oil companies that serve Delaware 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 Delaware 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 Delaware 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 Delaware County include Suburban Propane and Marble Cliff Oil Co.

Delaware County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Delaware County: 6 companies

Average Number Of Delaware County Homes Served Per Company: 212 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Delaware County Oil Company: 134,266 gallons per year

Delaware County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

Approximately 1,272 households in Delaware County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Delaware County temperatures drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

0% of Delaware County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Delaware County HouseholdsDelaware County Heating Oil Households
467,1401,272

23 Delaware County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 805,600 gallons of heating oil delivered to Delaware County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Delaware County community relies on its 23 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 Delaware County, two of the closest terminals are Citgo in Linden, NJ and Citgo in Linden, NJ. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Delaware County.