Last year, Dauphin County homeowners purchased a total of 12 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Dauphin 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 Dauphin County, the average outside temperature was 4.7° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Dauphin County Average Winter Temperature
Heating Season | Average Temperature |
---|---|
Winter 2022 - 2023 | 41.3° F |
Winter 2021 - 2022 | 36.6° F |
18,978 households in Dauphin County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Dauphin County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.
16% of Dauphin County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
Dauphin County Households | Dauphin County Heating Oil Households |
---|---|
113,615 | 18,978 |
117 Dauphin County Oil Companies Go the Distance
With 12 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Dauphin County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Dauphin County community relies on its 117 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 Dauphin County, two of the closest terminals are Lucknow in Highspire, PA and Sunoco in Mechanicsburg, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Dauphin County.