Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Cumberland County, used by 2,698,438 or 51.75% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Cumberland 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).

Cumberland County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Cumberland 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 Cumberland County

Heating oil has become less popular in Cumberland County. In the 2 years since 2020, the number of heating oil homes fell from 811,086 to 786,449, a 3.04% drop.

Cumberland 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 Cumberland County

Between 2020 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 232,603 to 256,098.

Between 2020 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,619,736 to 2,698,438.

Electricity use for home heating in Cumberland County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Cumberland County. Since 2020, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,199,935 to 1,275,546, a 6.30% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Cumberland 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 Cumberland County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 46.07% increase from 2020, when only 2,802 homes had installed active solar heating.

Cumberland County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Cumberland County homeowners purchased a total of 10 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Cumberland County Average Winter Temperature

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

Cumberland County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Cumberland County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 39 heating oil companies that serve Cumberland 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 31 “full-service” oil companies that serve Cumberland County. Full service companies such as Suburban Propane or Smart Touch Energy 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 Cumberland 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 Cumberland County include J K Gregory and Lebo's Plumbing Heating & Air.

Cumberland County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Cumberland County: 39 companies

Average Number Of Cumberland County Homes Served Per Company: 401 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Cumberland County Oil Company: 258,777 gallons per year

Cumberland County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

15,640 households in Cumberland County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Cumberland County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

16% of Cumberland County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Cumberland County Households	Cumberland County Heating Oil Households
97,293	15,640

220 Cumberland County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 10 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Cumberland County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Cumberland County community relies on its 220 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 Cumberland County, two of the closest terminals are Lucknow in Mechanicsburg, PA and Sunoco in Mechanicsburg, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Cumberland County.