Date	Average Oil Price
11/21/2024	$3.044
11/20/2024	$3.044
11/19/2024	$3.059
11/18/2024	$3.057
11/17/2024	$3.057
11/16/2024	$3.057
11/15/2024	$3.033
11/14/2024	$3.033
11/13/2024	$3.032
11/12/2024	$3.036
11/11/2024	$3.036
11/10/2024	$3.054
11/09/2024	$3.054
11/08/2024	$3.010
11/07/2024	$3.010
11/06/2024	$3.010
11/05/2024	$3.010
11/04/2024	$3.010
11/03/2024	$3.010
11/02/2024	$3.010
11/01/2024	$3.010
10/31/2024	$3.010
10/30/2024	$3.012
10/29/2024	$3.039
10/28/2024	$3.039
10/27/2024	$3.039
10/26/2024	$3.039
10/25/2024	$3.039
10/24/2024	$3.042
10/23/2024	$3.042

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

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Montgomery County, used by 2,698,438 or 51.75% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Montgomery 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).

Montgomery County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Montgomery 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 Montgomery County

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

Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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.

Montgomery County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Montgomery County homeowners purchased a total of 35 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Montgomery 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 Montgomery County, the average outside temperature was 6.3° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Montgomery County Average Winter Temperature

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

Montgomery County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Montgomery County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 67 heating oil companies that serve Montgomery 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 546 “full-service” oil companies that serve Montgomery County. Full service companies such as IT Landes or InterCounty Oil Services Inc 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County include Blaze Oil Corporation and Merit Fuel Inc.

Montgomery County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Montgomery County: 67 companies

Average Number Of Montgomery County Homes Served Per Company: 802 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Montgomery County Oil Company: 517,984 gallons per year

Montgomery County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

Approximately 53,782 households in Montgomery County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Montgomery County temperatures drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

16% of Montgomery County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Montgomery County Households	Montgomery County Heating Oil Households
334,863	53,782

1,622 Montgomery County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 35 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Montgomery County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Montgomery County community relies on its 1,622 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 Montgomery County, two of the closest terminals are Buckeye in Malverne, PA and Pbf S in Philadelphia, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Montgomery County.