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

Luzerne County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Luzerne 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 Luzerne County

Heating oil has become less popular in Luzerne County. In the 4 years since 2018, the number of heating oil homes fell from 828,104 to 786,449, a 5.03% drop.

Luzerne 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 Luzerne County

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 214,804 to 256,098.

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,582,392 to 2,698,438.

Electricity use for home heating in Luzerne County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Luzerne County. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,142,039 to 1,275,546, a 11.69% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Luzerne 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 Luzerne County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 109.15% increase from 2018, when only 1,957 homes had installed active solar heating.

Luzerne County Heating Oil Trends

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

Short Term Trends

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

Luzerne County Average Winter Temperature

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

Luzerne County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Luzerne County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 42 heating oil companies that serve Luzerne 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 Luzerne 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 Luzerne 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 Luzerne County include Buy the Gallon LLC and Rex Plumbing and Heating.

Luzerne County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Luzerne County: 42 companies

Average Number Of Luzerne County Homes Served Per Company: 407 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Luzerne County Oil Company: 262,985 gallons per year

Luzerne County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

17,117 households in Luzerne County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Luzerne County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

14% of Luzerne County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Luzerne County Households	Luzerne County Heating Oil Households
121,763	17,117

419 Luzerne County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 11 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Luzerne County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Luzerne County community relies on its 419 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 Luzerne County, two of the closest terminals are Lucknow in Dupont, PA and Lucknow in Fullerton, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Luzerne County.