Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Sussex County, used by 169,865 or 43.18% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Sussex County homeowners is electricity, used by 144,312 homes (36.68%). The remaining homes are heated with heating oil (38,199), propane (34,768), other fuels (3,090), and other fuels (7,083).

Sussex County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Sussex County Households	% of Households
Natural Gas	169,865	43.18%
Electricity	144,312	36.68%
Heating Oil	38,199	9.71%
Propane	34,768	8.84%
Other Fuels	3,090	0.79%
Wood	2,630	0.67%
No Fuel	2,463	0.63%
Solar	1,088	0.28%
Coal	902	0.23%

Natural gas (43.18)

Electricity (36.68)

Heating oil (9.71)

Propane (8.84)

Other fuels (0.79)

Wood (0.67)

No fuel (0.63)

Solar (0.28)

Coal (0.23)

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

Heating oil has become less popular in Sussex County. In the 3 years since 2019, the number of heating oil homes fell from 41,550 to 38,199, a 8.06% drop.

Sussex County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	58,474
2012	56,875
2013	54,361
2014	51,755
2015	49,733
2016	47,102
2017	44,319
2018	43,122
2019	41,550
2020	40,121
2021	38,925
2022	38,199

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

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel fell from 36,772 to 34,768.

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel fell from 154,829 to 169,865.

Electricity use for home heating in Sussex County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Sussex County. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 122,146 to 144,312, a 18.15% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Sussex 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, 1,088 homes in Sussex County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 81.64% increase from 2019, when only 599 homes had installed active solar heating.

Sussex County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Sussex County homeowners purchased a total of 4 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Sussex 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 Sussex County, the average outside temperature was 6.7° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Sussex County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	47.3° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	40.6° F

Sussex County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Sussex County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 28 heating oil companies that serve Sussex 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 Sussex 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 Sussex 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 Sussex County include Compass Energy and Comfort Plus Services.

Sussex County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Sussex County: 28 companies

Average Number Of Sussex County Homes Served Per Company: 315 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Sussex County Oil Company: 127,539 gallons per year

Sussex County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

8,827 households in Sussex County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Sussex County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

9% of Sussex County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Sussex County Households	Sussex County Heating Oil Households
97,469	8,827

347 Sussex County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 4 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Sussex County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Sussex County community relies on its 347 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 Sussex County, two of the closest terminals are Sunoco in Salisbury, MD and Pbfenergy in Delaware City, DE. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Sussex County.