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

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Cecil County, used by 1,036,714 or 43.77% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Cecil County homeowners is electricity, used by 1,018,912 homes (43.02%). The remaining homes are heated with heating oil (178,203), propane (89,874), wood (27,892), and other fuels (45,552).

Cecil County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Cecil County Households	% of Households
Natural Gas	1.0M	43.77%
Electricity	1.0M	43.02%
Heating Oil	178,203	7.52%
Propane	89,874	3.79%
Wood	27,892	1.18%
No Fuel	18,911	0.80%
Other Fuels	16,016	0.68%
Solar	9,098	0.38%
Coal	1,527	0.06%

Natural gas (43.77)

Electricity (43.02)

Heating oil (7.52)

Propane (3.79)

Wood (1.18)

No fuel (0.80)

Other fuels (0.68)

Solar (0.38)

Coal (0.06)

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

Heating oil has become less popular in Cecil County. In the 11 years since 2011, the number of heating oil homes fell from 246,964 to 178,203, a 27.84% drop.

Cecil County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	246,964
2012	239,039
2013	228,525
2014	222,212
2015	212,903
2016	207,818
2017	201,205
2018	193,194
2019	186,662
2020	179,727
2021	176,310
2022	178,203

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

Between 2011 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 69,487 to 89,874.

Between 2011 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 956,156 to 1,036,714.

Electricity use for home heating in Cecil County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Cecil County. Since 2011, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 813,918 to 1,018,912, a 25.19% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Cecil 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, 9,098 homes in Cecil County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 2725.47% increase from 2011, when only 322 homes had installed active solar heating.

Cecil County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Cecil County homeowners purchased a total of 668,453 gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Cecil 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 Cecil County, the average outside temperature was 3.0° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Cecil County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	49° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	46° F

Cecil County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Cecil County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 9 heating oil companies that serve Cecil 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 Cecil 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 Cecil 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 Cecil County include Hoot Heating & Air Conditioning LLC and Dixie Land Energy Llc.

Cecil County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Cecil County: 9 companies

Average Number Of Cecil County Homes Served Per Company: 144 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Cecil County Oil Company: 74,272 gallons per year

Cecil County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

1,297 households in Cecil County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Cecil County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

30% of Cecil County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Cecil County Households	Cecil County Heating Oil Households
4,222	1,297

9 Cecil County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 668,453 gallons of heating oil delivered to Cecil County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Cecil County community relies on its 9 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 Cecil County, two of the closest terminals are Pbfenergy in Delaware City, DE and Etmt in Twin Oaks, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Cecil County.