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

Homeowners 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 families. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Monroe residents 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

Number two heating oil has become less frequently used in Monroe. In the 7 years since 2018, the number of residents using fuel oil decreased from 806,761 to 663,450, a 18% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Monroe

Between 2018 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel increased from 225,476 to 282,182, a 25% change. Comparing 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,592,386 to 2,796,352, a 8% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Monroe

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Monroe. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,198,450 to 1,447,260, a 21% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Monroe

Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all 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 (similar to a hot water heater) in the basement. Currently, 7,204 homes in Monroe are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 228% gain from 2018, when 2,197 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 heating oil usage fluctuates each year primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside drops, homes’ furnaces need to burn more and more oil to keep the house warm inside. 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 residences heating with fuel oil, selecting which of the 11 heating oil companies that serve Monroe can drastically impact the cost of home heating.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who can afford a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select 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 customers annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and furnace repair. With an automatic oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The household 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 households who are budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the fuel oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when the oil gauge dips below a quarter tank. Some of the 2 Monroe cash heating oil companies serving Monroe include Liberty Oil & Propane and Pennywise Fuel Inc.

Monroe Oil Company Statistics: Oil Companies Serving Monroe: 11 companies .
Average Number of Monroe Houses Served per Fuel Oil company : 60314

Monroe Heating Oil Delivery Overview

663,450 families in Monroe heat their homes with number two 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 Heating Oil Companies You Can Bank On

With 507,486,889 gallons of oil delivered to Monroe families last winter, the Monroe community depends on its 67 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. 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 Monroe, two of the closest terminals are Ergon in Newell, PA and Etmt in Blawnox, PA. Then, the truck delivers the oil to homes and businesses throughout Monroe and the surrounding area.