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

Households have a choice of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most popular choice in Monroe, used by 2,796,352 or 52% of homeowners. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Monroe homeowners 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%).

Monroe 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 Monroe

Fuel oil has become less frequently used in Monroe. In the 11 years since 2014, the number of families using oil dropped from 858,758 to 663,450, a 23% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Monroe

Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel grew from 198,296 to 282,182, a 42% change. Comparing 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel ramped up from 2,528,694 to 2,796,352, a 11% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Monroe

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Monroe. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,087,741 to 1,447,260, a 33% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Monroe

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. Currently, 7,204 homes in Monroe are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 309% gain from 2014, when 1,760 homes had active solar heating.

Monroe County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Monroe County homeowners purchased a total of 6 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Monroe’s overall oil consumption fluctuates each year correlating with how cold it gets each winter. As the temperature outside gets more chilly, homes’ furnaces 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 Monroe was 29.3°F, which was 5.5°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Monroe County Average Winter Temperature

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

Monroe County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Monroe households heating with heating oil, selecting which of the 11 heating oil companies that serve Monroe 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 choose one of the 11 “full-service” oil companies that serve Monroe. Full service companies such as DeSousa Oil & Service Corp or Keller Enterprises Inc offer clients annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and heating system 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 client 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 families who are budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the fuel oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order either when the level runs low or just before a major snowstorm. Examples of 2 Monroe cash heating oil companies serving Monroe include Liberty Oil & Propane and Pennywise Fuel Inc.

Monroe Oil Company Fast Facts: Oil Companies Serving Monroe: 11 companies .
Average Number of Monroe Households Served per Heating Oil company : 60314

Monroe Heating Oil Delivery Overview

663,450 houses in Monroe heat their homes with heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Monroe temperatures drop as low as 23.2° F each winter. 12.3% of Monroe households depend on oil delivery each winter.

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

Monroe County HouseholdsMonroe County Heating Oil Households
10.7M663,450

67 Monroe Oil Companies Go The Distance

With 507,486,889 gallons of oil delivered to Monroe residences during this past winter, the Monroe community relies on its 67 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. 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 Monroe, two of the closest terminals are Ergon in Newell, PA and Etmt in Blawnox, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses throughout Monroe and the surrounding vicinity.