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

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

Elk County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Elk 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 Elk County

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

Elk 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 Elk 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 Elk County

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

Elk County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Elk County homeowners purchased a total of 180,680 gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Elk County Average Winter Temperature

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

Elk County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Elk County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 4 heating oil companies that serve Elk 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 Elk 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 Elk 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 Elk County include TETTIS PLUMBING & HEATING and Triple H Pipe & Mech. Inc..

Elk County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Elk County: 4 companies

Average Number Of Elk County Homes Served Per Company: 70 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Elk County Oil Company: 45,170 gallons per year

Elk County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

33% of Elk County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Elk County Households	Elk County Heating Oil Households
847	280

4 Elk County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 180,680 gallons of heating oil delivered to Elk County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Elk County community relies on its 4 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 Elk County, two of the closest terminals are American in Bradford, PA and United in Warren, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Elk County.