Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Blair Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Homeowners have a host of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most popular choice in Blair, used by 2,796,352 or 52% of families. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Blair families is Electricity, used by 1,447,260 homes (27%). The remaining homes are heated with Heating Oil (12%), Propane (5%), Wood (2%), and Coal (1%).
Blair County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (in Number of Households)
| Year | Natural Gas | Propane | Electricity | Oil | Wood | Solar | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,796,352 | 282,182 | 1,447,260 | 663,450 | 112,270 | 7,204 | 31,146 |
| 2024 | 2,785,913 | 276,598 | 1,396,275 | 685,083 | 111,416 | 6,155 | 32,085 |
| 2023 | 2,698,411 | 278,621 | 1,389,291 | 717,601 | 111,540 | 6,964 | 44,558 |
| 2022 | 2,710,114 | 282,625 | 1,337,240 | 742,118 | 105,147 | 5,282 | 41,959 |
| 2021 | 2,677,533 | 267,454 | 1,287,322 | 760,867 | 109,832 | 4,867 | 46,436 |
| 2020 | 2,656,062 | 251,472 | 1,254,850 | 776,616 | 113,900 | 4,554 | 41,326 |
| 2019 | 2,634,591 | 235,490 | 1,222,377 | 792,365 | 117,969 | 4,241 | 36,216 |
| 2018 | 2,592,386 | 225,476 | 1,198,450 | 806,761 | 128,110 | 2,197 | 35,172 |
| 2017 | 2,598,275 | 222,650 | 1,158,937 | 790,353 | 127,198 | 2,225 | 35,586 |
| 2016 | 2,551,248 | 209,719 | 1,133,797 | 805,822 | 125,583 | 1,639 | 34,565 |
| 2015 | 2,549,385 | 200,754 | 1,103,995 | 837,082 | 141,835 | 2,117 | 38,034 |
| 2014 | 2,528,694 | 198,296 | 1,087,741 | 858,758 | 148,256 | 1,760 | 36,886 |
| 2013 | 2,516,052 | 195,799 | 1,086,074 | 870,064 | 148,597 | 1,408 | 33,941 |
| 2012 | 2,530,063 | 188,880 | 1,046,982 | 936,674 | 145,089 | 1,484 | 31,494 |
| 2011 | 2,516,883 | 178,387 | 1,019,764 | 973,749 | 137,625 | 1,545 | 28,259 |
| 2010 | 2,530,446 | 177,562 | 997,925 | 993,832 | 126,074 | 597 | 29,423 |
Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Blair
Heating oil has become decreasing in demand in Blair. In the 1 years since 2024, the number of households using fuel oil fell from 685,083 to 663,450, a 3% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Blair
Between 2024 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel grew from 276,598 to 282,182, a 2% change. Comparing 2024 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel held steady at 2,796,352, a 0% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Blair
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Blair. Since 2024, the number of homes heating with electricity shot up from 1,396,275 to 1,447,260, a 4% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Blair
The most eco-friendly heating option is solar. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid is circulated between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank (similar to a hot water heater) in the basement. As it stands today, 7,204 homes in Blair are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 17% gain from 2024, when 6,155 homes had active solar heating.
Blair County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Blair County homeowners purchased a total of 7 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Blair’s overall fuel oil consumption changes annually depending on winter temperatures. As the temperature outside gets more chilly, homes’ boilers need to burn more and more oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Blair was 29.3°F, which was 5.5°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Blair County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 29.3° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 34.8° F |
Blair County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Blair residences heating with oil, picking which of the 9 heating oil companies that serve Blair can drastically impact the cost of home heating.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who value a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 0 “full-service” oil companies that serve Blair. Full service companies such as or offer households annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and boiler repair. With an automatic heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s fuel oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The homeowner does not need to monitor the level of the oil tank or place individual orders.
Discount Oil Companies: Often called “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for homeowners who are budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order either when the level runs low or just before a major snowstorm. A few of the 2 Blair cash heating oil companies serving Blair include Jacobs Oil Co Inc and Jj Powell Inc.
Blair Heating Oil Company Statistics: Oil Companies Serving Blair: 9 companies .
Average Number of Blair Homes Served per Heating Oil company : 73717
Blair Heating Oil Delivery Overview
663,450 households in Blair heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Blair temperatures drop as low as 23.2° F each winter. 12.3% of Blair households rely on heating oil delivery each winter.
6.1% of Blair County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Blair County Households | Blair County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 10.7M | 663,450 |
55 Blair Heating Oil Companies Serving The Community
With 507,486,889 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Blair households during this past winter, the Blair community looks to its 55 oil companies when temperatures dip. Oil delivery has two parts to it: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of Blair, two of the closest terminals are Ergon in Newell, PA and Etmt in Blawnox, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to residences and companies throughout Blair and the surrounding region.
