Date	Average Oil Price
11/21/2024	$3.018
11/20/2024	$3.018
11/19/2024	$3.013
11/18/2024	$3.031
11/15/2024	$2.969
11/14/2024	$3.016
11/13/2024	$3.043
11/12/2024	$3.044
11/11/2024	$3.024
11/08/2024	$3.008
11/07/2024	$3.008
11/06/2024	$3.008
11/05/2024	$3.008
11/04/2024	$3.008
11/01/2024	$3.008
10/31/2024	$3.008
10/30/2024	$3.006
10/29/2024	$3.002
10/28/2024	$2.984
10/25/2024	$2.988
10/24/2024	$2.990
10/23/2024	$2.988
10/22/2024	$2.988
10/21/2024	$2.979
10/18/2024	$2.992
10/17/2024	$2.986
10/16/2024	$2.996
10/15/2024	$2.998
10/14/2024	$3.006
10/11/2024	$2.998

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

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Indiana County, used by 2,698,438 or 51.75% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Indiana County homeowners is electricity, used by 1,275,546 homes (24.46%). The remaining homes are heated with heating oil (786,449), propane (256,098), wood (122,435), and other fuels (139,486).

Indiana County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Indiana County Households	% of Households
Natural Gas	2.6M	51.8%
Electricity	1.2M	24.5%
Heating Oil	786,449	15.1%
Propane	256,098	4.9%
Wood	122,435	2.4%
Coal	51,531	1.0%
Other Fuels	50,506	1.0%
No Fuel	33,356	0.6%
Solar	4,093	0.1%

Natural gas (51.8%)

Electricity (24.5%)

Heating oil (15.1%)

Propane (4.9%)

Wood (2.4%)

Coal (1.0%)

Other fuels (1.0%)

No fuel (0.6%)

Solar (0.1%)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Indiana County

Heating oil has become less popular in Indiana County. In the 2 years since 2020, the number of heating oil homes fell from 811,086 to 786,449, a 3.04% drop.

Indiana County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	1.0M
2012	1.0M
2013	963,754
2014	930,735
2015	899,276
2016	864,952
2017	843,020
2018	828,104
2019	814,213
2020	811,086
2021	790,823
2022	786,449

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Indiana County

Between 2020 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 232,603 to 256,098.

Between 2020 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,619,736 to 2,698,438.

Electricity use for home heating in Indiana County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Indiana County. Since 2020, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,199,935 to 1,275,546, a 6.30% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Indiana 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, 4,093 homes in Indiana County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 46.07% increase from 2020, when only 2,802 homes had installed active solar heating.

Indiana County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Indiana County homeowners purchased a total of 2 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Indiana County’s overall heating oil use varies from year to year, primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ heating systems need to burn more and more oil to keep homes warm. Last winter in Indiana County, the average outside temperature was 6.3° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Indiana County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2023 - 2024	34.5° F
Winter 2022 - 2023	28.2° F

Indiana County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Indiana County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 8 heating oil companies that serve Indiana 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 Indiana 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 Indiana 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 Indiana County include Barber Oil Company and Townsend Gas & Oil Inc.

Indiana County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Indiana County: 8 companies

Average Number Of Indiana County Homes Served Per Company: 450 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Indiana County Oil Company: 290,622 gallons per year

Indiana County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

Approximately 3,603 households in Indiana County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Indiana County temperatures drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

34% of Indiana County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Indiana County Households	Indiana County Heating Oil Households
10,478	3,603

58 Indiana County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 2 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Indiana County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Indiana County community relies on its 58 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 Indiana County, two of the closest terminals are Etmt in Delmont, PA and Etmt in Delmont, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Indiana County.