What Is the Difference between Heating Oil and Propane Gas?

With Pennsylvania’s climate, homeowners and business owners alike need a reliable source of fuel to power their heat and hot water appliances. Propane gas and heating oil are the two top choices for energy around here because of their powerful nature, abundant supply, and affordable pricing. So what are the real differences between these two competing fuels? At Eshenaurs, we’re experts on both heating oil and propane supply and usage—so we’ll outline the differences and let you decide on which one ranks supreme.

Heating Oil vs. Propane: What’s the Difference?

Oil vs. Propane’s Creation & Supply

Heating oil comes from two supply chains: domestic and imported. Domestic heating oil is created right here in the Northeast, while imported oil can supplement demand during the coldest months of the year. Propane, on the other hand, primarily comes from Texas, which produces more than enough liquified petroleum gas to go around.

Oil vs. Propane’s Chemical Composition

Think back to your high school chemistry class where you learned about states of matter. Oil is both stored and used as a liquid fuel, while propane is stored compressed as a liquid and used as a gas fuel.

Oil vs. Propane’s Energy Capacity

Heating oil has an energy capacity of 139,000 BTUs, compared to 91,502 BTUs for propane. This means that more energy is produced from heating oil—but the margin is small. Both fuels are plenty efficient and powerful enough for any household and commercial applications.

Oil vs. Propane’s Service Requirements

Since propane is burned as a gas, appliances can sometimes go longer periods without needing to be cleaned and serviced. Still, it’s recommended that both oil and propane heating appliances have tune-ups annually to reduce the unexpected when it comes to service needs.

Related Post: Top Benefits of Annual A/C Tune-Ups

Oil vs. Propane’s Recent Advancements

Heating oil is being engineered to create lower-sulfur variants, including ULS oil and biofuels. Propane has always produced very few emissions, meaning that both fuels are competitive in their eco-friendliness when compared to one another.

Here’s the Great News: You Can’t Make a Bad Decision

While some of this information may surprise you, there’s no need to worry. You really can’t make a bad choice when it comes to choosing heating oil or propane for your home’s or business’s supply of energy. Both fuel choices are safe, economical, and abundant in Pennsylvania and beyond. Eshenaurs provides oil heating installations, oil heating maintenance, propane heating installations, and propane heating maintenance throughout the Harrisburg, PA area. We also perform heating oil delivery and propane deliveries. Contact the Eshenaur’s team today if you’d like to place an order for heating oil or propane to power your Pennsylvania property!