Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Burlington County, used by 2,618,092 or 74.00% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Burlington County homeowners is electricity, used by 532,344 homes (15.05%). The remaining homes are heated with heating oil (258,381), propane (91,132), no fuel (30,011), and other fuels (40,620).

Burlington County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Burlington County Households	% of Households
Natural Gas	2.6M	74.00%
Electricity	532,344	15.05%
Heating Oil	258,381	7.30%
Propane	91,132	2.58%
No Fuel	30,011	0.85%
Other Fuels	19,813	0.56%
Wood	12,502	0.35%
Solar	7,334	0.21%
Coal	971	0.03%

Natural gas (74.00)

Electricity (15.05)

Heating oil (7.30)

Propane (2.58)

No fuel (0.85)

Other fuels (0.56)

Wood (0.35)

Solar (0.21)

Coal (0.03)

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

Heating oil has become less popular in Burlington County. In the 3 years since 2019, the number of heating oil homes fell from 271,250 to 258,381, a 4.74% drop.

Burlington County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	420,231
2012	397,731
2013	374,390
2014	353,791
2015	336,160
2016	314,964
2017	298,525
2018	284,056
2019	271,250
2020	260,383
2021	256,421
2022	258,381

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

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 65,023 to 91,132.

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,426,524 to 2,618,092.

Electricity use for home heating in Burlington County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Burlington County. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 421,548 to 532,344, a 26.28% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Burlington 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, 7,334 homes in Burlington County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 83.49% increase from 2019, when only 3,997 homes had installed active solar heating.

Burlington County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Burlington County homeowners purchased a total of 11 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Burlington 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 Burlington County, the average outside temperature was 5.2° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Burlington County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	47.2° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	42° F

Burlington County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Burlington County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 106 heating oil companies that serve Burlington 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 17 “full-service” oil companies that serve Burlington County. Full service companies such as PFO Heating & Air Conditioning or PFO Heating & Air Conditioning 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 Burlington 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 Burlington County include Service First Heating & Cooling Inc and SG Tech.

Burlington County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Burlington County: 106 companies

Average Number Of Burlington County Homes Served Per Company: 158 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Burlington County Oil Company: 104,011 gallons per year

Burlington County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

16,777 households in Burlington County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Burlington County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

6% of Burlington County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Burlington County Households	Burlington County Heating Oil Households
252,423	16,777

1,463 Burlington County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 11 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Burlington County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Burlington County community relies on its 1,463 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 Burlington County, two of the closest terminals are Meenan in Tullytown, PA and Buckeye in Buckeye, NJ. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Burlington County.