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

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

Delaware County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Delaware 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 Delaware County

Heating oil has become less popular in Delaware County. In the 7 years since 2015, the number of heating oil homes fell from 899,276 to 786,449, a 12.55% drop.

Delaware 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 Delaware County

Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 193,724 to 256,098.

Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,531,483 to 2,698,438.

Electricity use for home heating in Delaware County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Delaware County. Since 2015, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,070,495 to 1,275,546, a 19.15% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Delaware 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 Delaware County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 157.91% increase from 2015, when only 1,587 homes had installed active solar heating.

Delaware County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Delaware County homeowners purchased a total of 34 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Delaware County Average Winter Temperature

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

Delaware County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Delaware County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 183 heating oil companies that serve Delaware 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 274 “full-service” oil companies that serve Delaware County. Full service companies such as Royal Petroleum Inc or Wister Coal & Fuel Oil Co 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 Delaware 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 Delaware County include Mauger & Company Inc and Aire Serv Of West Chester.

Delaware County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Delaware County: 183 companies

Average Number Of Delaware County Homes Served Per Company: 286 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Delaware County Oil Company: 185,063 gallons per year

Delaware County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

52,483 households in Delaware County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Delaware County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

5% of Delaware County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Delaware County Households	Delaware County Heating Oil Households
903,501	52,483

4,815 Delaware County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 34 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Delaware County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Delaware County community relies on its 4,815 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 Delaware County, two of the closest terminals are Pbf S in Philadelphia, PA and Etmt in Westville, NJ. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Delaware County.