I am writing this from personal experience and not as an HVAC expert, but I will tell it as I see it. If you live in Martinsburg and can get natural gas to your home, that is the way to go. It is cleaner and more efficient that oil heat and warmer than a heat pump. If you live outside the service area of natural gas your options are fuel oil, propane or electric heat pump. The upside of propane is it is clean and provide good heat. The downside is you have to have it delivered (check various dealers for best price per gallon) and the price of propane fluctuates as much as gasoline prices unless you are locked in with a long term contract. A 500 gallon tank can cost as much or more than $1,000 to fill (and it is never actually filled as there is room left or expansion) and you get socked with this bill in one lump sum.
Electric heat pumps are clean and efficient, and the newer the unit the more efficient they are depending on their rating. Also you get a monthly bill which you can budget more or less and not get a huge one time bill.. Sometimes the electric company can average your bill to stabilize it so it is less in heavy usage months and cost is spread out over the lower use months.
Gas heat in a home in Martinsburg (1800 sq feet, two story gas on ground floor) cost about $70 a month for three month winter period.) My current home is 3,200 square feet with two heat pumps, one for main floor, one for the basement. — bill was no higher than $179/month last winter. That is only the start of the story.
First, the basement walls are insulated and reflect the heat back into the open areas. Secondly, I keep the thermostat at 68 degrees year round. For every drop in temperature degree you will save money and I would rather wear a sweatshirt in the house that give all my money to the electric company. You will get used to the cooler temps and it is better for breathing and for sleeping. Use an electric blanket on your bed. It is important if you have a large house or two story house to use two HVAC units so they do not get overworked and run all the time. Two story houses you can regulate temps at different levels. Bottom line is insulation in basement or crawl spaces, thermal windows, insulate attic or upper area and lower your thermostat. If you do these things you will save on whatever fuel you are using. Additionally the price of electricity is regulated by the state, propane is not. Good luck to the person who had the question about propane vs electric.