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

Armstrong County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Armstrong County Households	% of Households
Natural Gas	2.6M	51.75%
Electricity	1.2M	24.46%
Heating Oil	786,449	15.08%
Propane	256,098	4.91%
Wood	122,435	2.35%
Coal	51,531	0.99%
Other Fuels	50,506	0.97%
No Fuel	33,356	0.64%
Solar	4,093	0.08%

Natural gas (51.75)

Electricity (24.46)

Heating oil (15.08)

Propane (4.91)

Wood (2.35)

Coal (0.99)

Other fuels (0.97)

No fuel (0.64)

Solar (0.08)

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

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

Armstrong 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 Armstrong 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 Armstrong County

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

Armstrong County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Armstrong County homeowners purchased a total of 794,996 gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Armstrong 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 Armstrong County, the average outside temperature was 4.7° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Armstrong County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	41.3° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	36.6° F

Armstrong County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Armstrong County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 46 heating oil companies that serve Armstrong 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 Armstrong 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 Armstrong 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 Armstrong County include John's Heating, Air Conditioning and Shafers HVAC Inc.

Armstrong County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Armstrong County: 46 companies

Average Number Of Armstrong County Homes Served Per Company: 26 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Armstrong County Oil Company: 17,282 gallons per year

Armstrong County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

1,232 households in Armstrong County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Armstrong County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

7% of Armstrong County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Armstrong County Households	Armstrong County Heating Oil Households
17,469	1,232

246 Armstrong County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 794,996 gallons of heating oil delivered to Armstrong County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Armstrong County community relies on its 246 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 Armstrong 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 Armstrong County.