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

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Franklin County, used by 3,119,789 or 64.85% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Franklin 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).

Franklin County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

FuelFranklin 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 Franklin County

Heating oil has become more popular in Franklin County. In the 3 years since 2019, the number of heating oil homes rose from 99,323 to 100,023, a 0.70% lift.

Franklin 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 Franklin County

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 248,176 to 272,855.

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 3,063,569 to 3,119,789.

Electricity use for home heating in Franklin County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Franklin County. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,119,116 to 1,213,218, a 8.41% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Franklin 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 Franklin County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 19.43% increase from 2019, when only 947 homes had installed active solar heating.

Franklin County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Franklin County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 5 heating oil companies that serve Franklin 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 Franklin 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County include Suburban Propane and Marble Cliff Oil Co.

Franklin County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Franklin County: 5 companies

Average Number Of Franklin County Homes Served Per Company: 460 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Franklin County Oil Company: 291,460 gallons per year

Franklin County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

Approximately 2,301 households in Franklin County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Franklin County temperatures drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

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

Franklin County HouseholdsFranklin County Heating Oil Households
565,4992,301

40 Franklin County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 1 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Franklin County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Franklin County community relies on its 40 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County.