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Search Clarke County, VA Local Heating Oil Deals by City

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

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Electricity is the most popular choice in Clarke County, used by 1,887,993 or 56.72% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Clarke County homeowners is natural gas, used by 1,101,616 homes (33.09%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (153,698), heating oil (129,907), wood (65,453), and other fuels (41,045).

Clarke County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Clarke County Households	% of Households
Electricity	1.8M	56.72%
Natural Gas	1.1M	33.09%
Propane	153,698	4.62%
Heating Oil	129,907	3.90%
Wood	65,453	1.97%
No Fuel	24,314	0.73%
Other Fuels	12,489	0.38%
Solar	2,751	0.08%
Coal	1,491	0.04%

Electricity (56.72)

Natural gas (33.09)

Propane (4.62)

Heating oil (3.90)

Wood (1.97)

No fuel (0.73)

Other fuels (0.38)

Solar (0.08)

Coal (0.04)

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

Heating oil has become less popular in Clarke County. In the 4 years since 2018, the number of heating oil homes fell from 148,684 to 129,907, a 12.63% drop.

Clarke County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	228,988
2012	211,492
2013	195,333
2014	182,928
2015	171,696
2016	162,011
2017	154,885
2018	148,684
2019	141,997
2020	137,208
2021	128,923
2022	129,907

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

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 137,930 to 153,698.

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,040,445 to 1,101,616.

Electricity use for home heating in Clarke County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Clarke County. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,701,738 to 1,887,993, a 10.94% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Clarke 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, 2,751 homes in Clarke County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 200.98% increase from 2018, when only 914 homes had installed active solar heating.

Clarke County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Clarke County homeowners purchased a total of 67,646 gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Clarke 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 Clarke County, the average outside temperature was 4.3° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Clarke County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	48° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	43.7° F

Clarke County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Clarke County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 12 heating oil companies that serve Clarke 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 Clarke 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 Clarke 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 Clarke County include Martys Plb & HVAC and M E Flow Inc.

Clarke County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Clarke County: 12 companies

Average Number Of Clarke County Homes Served Per Company: 9 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Clarke County Oil Company: 5,637 gallons per year

Clarke County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

Clarke County Households	Clarke County Heating Oil Households
1,478	112

21 Clarke County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 67,646 gallons of heating oil delivered to Clarke County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Clarke County community relies on its 21 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 Clarke County, two of the closest terminals are Motiva in Fairfax, VA and Buckeye in Baltimore, MD. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Clarke County.