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Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Bucks Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homes have a variety of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the preferred choice in Bucks, used by 2,796,352 or 52% of families. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Bucks homeowners is Electricity, used by 1,447,260 homes (27%). The other homes are heated with Heating Oil (12%), Propane (5%), Wood (2%), and Coal (1%).

Bucks County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (in Number 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

Fuel oil has become decreasing in demand in Bucks. In the 6 years since 2019, the number of families using oil decreased from 792,365 to 663,450, a 16% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Bucks

Between 2019 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 235,490 to 282,182, a 20% change. Comparing 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,634,591 to 2,796,352, a 6% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Bucks

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more prevalent in Bucks. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,222,377 to 1,447,260, a 18% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Bucks

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 Bucks are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 70% gain from 2019, when 4,241 homes utilized 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 heating oil consumption changes from year to year as winter conditions change. As the temperature outside dips, homes’ HVAC systems need to burn additional fuel oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. 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 residences heating with number two heating oil, selecting which of the 68 heating oil companies that serve Bucks plays a big role in determining how much money is spent on heating each winter.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who can afford a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select one of the 272 “full-service” oil companies that serve Bucks. Full service companies such as IT Landes or InterCounty Oil Services Inc offer homeowners annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and furnace repair. With an automatic fuel oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s number two heating oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The customer 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 clients who are budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the number two heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when the oil gauge dips below a quarter tank. Examples of 2 Bucks cash heating oil companies serving Bucks include Ace Fueling Llc and Blaze Oil Corporation.

Bucks Fuel Oil Company Fast Facts: Fuel oil Companies Serving Bucks: 68 companies .
Average Number of Bucks Homes Served per Number Two Heating Oil company : 9757

Bucks Heating Oil Delivery Overview

663,450 residences in Bucks heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Bucks temperatures drop as low as 23.2° F each winter. 12.3% of Bucks homes depend on fuel 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 Serving The Community

With 507,486,889 gallons of heating oil delivered to Bucks homeowners during this past winter, the Bucks community depends on its 1133 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 Bucks, two of the closest terminals are Ergon in Newell, PA and Etmt in Blawnox, PA. Then, the truck delivers the number two heating oil to homes and businesses throughout Bucks and the surrounding region.