Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Bucks County, used by 2,698,438 or 51.75% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Bucks County homeowners is electricity, used by 1,275,546 homes (24.46%). The remaining homes are heated with heating oil (786,449), propane (256,098), wood (122,435), and other fuels (139,486).

Bucks County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Bucks County Households	% of Households
Natural Gas	2.6M	51.75%
Electricity	1.2M	24.46%
Heating Oil	786,449	15.08%
Propane	256,098	4.91%
Wood	122,435	2.35%
Coal	51,531	0.99%
Other Fuels	50,506	0.97%
No Fuel	33,356	0.64%
Solar	4,093	0.08%

Natural gas (51.75)

Electricity (24.46)

Heating oil (15.08)

Propane (4.91)

Wood (2.35)

Coal (0.99)

Other fuels (0.97)

No fuel (0.64)

Solar (0.08)

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

Heating oil has become less popular in Bucks County. In the 8 years since 2014, the number of heating oil homes fell from 930,735 to 786,449, a 15.50% drop.

Bucks County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	1.0M
2012	1.0M
2013	963,754
2014	930,735
2015	899,276
2016	864,952
2017	843,020
2018	828,104
2019	814,213
2020	811,086
2021	790,823
2022	786,449

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

Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 189,112 to 256,098.

Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,529,063 to 2,698,438.

Electricity use for home heating in Bucks County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Bucks County. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,050,178 to 1,275,546, a 21.46% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Bucks 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, 4,093 homes in Bucks County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 221.78% increase from 2014, when only 1,272 homes had installed active solar heating.

Bucks County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Bucks County homeowners purchased a total of 40 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Bucks 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 Bucks County, the average outside temperature was 4.7° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Bucks County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	41.3° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	36.6° F

Bucks County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Bucks County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 196 heating oil companies that serve Bucks 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 233 “full-service” oil companies that serve Bucks County. Full service companies such as IT Landes or InterCounty Oil Services Inc 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 Bucks 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 Bucks County include J & N Heating & Air and Accutech Mechanical Services.

Bucks County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Bucks County: 196 companies

Average Number Of Bucks County Homes Served Per Company: 318 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Bucks County Oil Company: 205,656 gallons per year

Bucks County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

62,466 households in Bucks County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Bucks County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

25% of Bucks County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Bucks County Households	Bucks County Heating Oil Households
249,857	62,466

4,777 Bucks County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 40 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Bucks County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Bucks County community relies on its 4,777 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 Bucks 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 Bucks County.