Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Mercer County Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Mercer County, used by 3,119,786 or 64.85% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Mercer 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 (43,475).
Mercer County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
| Fuel | Mercer County Households | % of Households |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Gas | 3.1M | 64.9% |
| Electricity | 1.2M | 25.2% |
| Propane | 272,855 | 5.7% |
| Heating Oil | 100,023 | 2.1% |
| Wood | 81,253 | 1.7% |
| Other Fuels | 43,475 | 0.9% |
| No Fuel | 27,402 | 0.6% |
| Coal | 3,017 | 0.1% |
| Solar | 1,131 | 0.0% |
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 Mercer County
Heating oil has become less popular in Mercer County. In the 4 years since 2018, the number of heating oil homes fell from 101,487 to 100,023, a 1.44% drop.
Mercer County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
| Year | Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 141,038 |
| 2012 | 132,252 |
| 2013 | 125,428 |
| 2014 | 119,022 |
| 2015 | 113,013 |
| 2016 | 107,419 |
| 2017 | 104,197 |
| 2018 | 101,487 |
| 2019 | 99,323 |
| 2020 | 95,712 |
| 2021 | 92,977 |
| 2022 | 100,023 |
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Mercer County
Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 242,988 to 272,855.
Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 3,064,116 to 3,119,786.
Electricity use for home heating in Mercer County
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Mercer County. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,097,020 to 1,213,218, a 10.59% increase.
Solar use for home heating in Mercer 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 Mercer County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 22.01% increase from 2018, when only 927 homes had installed active solar heating.
