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

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

Chester County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Chester 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 Chester County

Heating oil has become less popular in Chester County. In the 8 years since 2014, the number of heating oil homes fell from 930,735 to 786,449, a 15.50% drop.

Chester 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 Chester County

Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 189,112 to 256,098.

Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,529,063 to 2,698,438.

Electricity use for home heating in Chester County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Chester County. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,050,178 to 1,275,546, a 21.46% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Chester 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 Chester County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 221.78% increase from 2014, when only 1,272 homes had installed active solar heating.

Chester County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Chester County homeowners purchased a total of 29 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Chester County Average Winter Temperature

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

Chester County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Chester County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 199 heating oil companies that serve Chester 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 107 “full-service” oil companies that serve Chester County. Full service companies such as Atlas Oil Company or John Couchara Heat & Fuel 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 Chester 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 Chester County include Summers & Zim's and Mauger & Company Inc.

Chester County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Chester County: 199 companies

Average Number Of Chester County Homes Served Per Company: 227 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Chester County Oil Company: 146,960 gallons per year

Chester County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

45,321 households in Chester County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Chester County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

20% of Chester County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Chester County Households	Chester County Heating Oil Households
216,305	45,321

3,707 Chester County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 29 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Chester County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Chester County community relies on its 3,707 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 Chester County, two of the closest terminals are Buckeye in Malverne, PA and Etmt in Twin Oaks, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Chester County.