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Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Bucks 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 Bucks, used by 2,796,352 or 52% of families. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Bucks 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%).

Bucks County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (No. of Households)

YearNatural GasPropaneElectricityOilWoodSolarOther
20252,796,352282,1821,447,260663,450112,2707,20431,146
20242,785,913276,5981,396,275685,083111,4166,15532,085
20232,698,411278,6211,389,291717,601111,5406,96444,558
20222,710,114282,6251,337,240742,118105,1475,28241,959
20212,677,533267,4541,287,322760,867109,8324,86746,436
20202,656,062251,4721,254,850776,616113,9004,55441,326
20192,634,591235,4901,222,377792,365117,9694,24136,216
20182,592,386225,4761,198,450806,761128,1102,19735,172
20172,598,275222,6501,158,937790,353127,1982,22535,586
20162,551,248209,7191,133,797805,822125,5831,63934,565
20152,549,385200,7541,103,995837,082141,8352,11738,034
20142,528,694198,2961,087,741858,758148,2561,76036,886
20132,516,052195,7991,086,074870,064148,5971,40833,941
20122,530,063188,8801,046,982936,674145,0891,48431,494
20112,516,883178,3871,019,764973,749137,6251,54528,259
20102,530,446177,562997,925993,832126,07459729,423

Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Bucks

Oil has become less popular in Bucks. In the 4 years since 2021, the number of homeowners using number two heating oil declined from 760,867 to 663,450, a 13% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Bucks

Between 2021 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel grew from 267,454 to 282,182, a 6% change. Comparing 2021 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel ramped up from 2,677,533 to 2,796,352, a 4% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Bucks

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Bucks. Since 2021, the number of homes heating with electricity shot up from 1,287,322 to 1,447,260, a 12% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Bucks

Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all heating fuels. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid flows 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 Bucks are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 48% gain from 2021, when 4,867 homes used active solar heating.

Bucks County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Bucks County homeowners purchased a total of 40 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Bucks’s overall number two heating oil usage fluctuates yearly correlating with how cold it gets each winter. As the temperature outside dips, homes’ heating systems need to burn increasing amounts of fuel oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Bucks was 29.3°F, which was 5.5°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Bucks County Average Winter Temperature

Heating SeasonAverage Temperature
2024 - 202529.3° F
2023 - 202434.8° F

Bucks County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Bucks homes heating with oil, choosing which of the 68 heating oil companies that serve Bucks can drastically impact the cost of home heating.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who want a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 272 “full-service” oil companies that serve Bucks. Full service companies such as IT Landes or InterCounty Oil Services Inc offer clients annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and heating system repair. With an automatic 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: Also known by the names “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for homeowners who are budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the 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 Bucks cash heating oil companies serving Bucks include Ace Fueling Llc and Blaze Oil Corporation.

Bucks Oil Company Statistics: Fuel oil Companies Serving Bucks: 68 companies .
Average Number of Bucks Households Served per Fuel Oil company : 9757

Bucks Heating Oil Delivery Overview

663,450 families in Bucks heat their homes with heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Bucks temperatures drop as low as 23.2° F each winter. 12.3% of Bucks families are reliant on number two heating oil delivery each winter.

6.1% of Bucks County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Bucks County HouseholdsBucks County Heating Oil Households
10.7M663,450

1133 Bucks Oil Companies You Can Bank On

With 507,486,889 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Bucks houses the last heating season, the Bucks community depends on its 1133 oil companies to keep warm throughout the winter. Oil delivery can be summed up in two steps: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of Bucks, 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 Bucks and the surrounding area.