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

Schuylkill County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Schuylkill 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 Schuylkill County

Heating oil has become less popular in Schuylkill County. In the 3 years since 2019, the number of heating oil homes fell from 814,213 to 786,449, a 3.41% drop.

Schuylkill 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 Schuylkill County

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 222,412 to 256,098.

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,599,328 to 2,698,438.

Electricity use for home heating in Schuylkill County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Schuylkill County. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,168,162 to 1,275,546, a 9.19% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Schuylkill 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 Schuylkill County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 66.79% increase from 2019, when only 2,454 homes had installed active solar heating.

Schuylkill County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Schuylkill County homeowners purchased a total of 12 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Schuylkill County Average Winter Temperature

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

Schuylkill County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Schuylkill County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 52 heating oil companies that serve Schuylkill 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 3 “full-service” oil companies that serve Schuylkill County. Full service companies such as DeSousa Oil & Service Corp or Wisser Coal & Fuel Oil 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 Schuylkill 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 Schuylkill County include Liberty Oil & Propane and Antz Energy Systems.

Schuylkill County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Schuylkill County: 52 companies

Average Number Of Schuylkill County Homes Served Per Company: 360 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Schuylkill County Oil Company: 232,477 gallons per year

Schuylkill County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

18,734 households in Schuylkill County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Schuylkill County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

47% of Schuylkill County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Schuylkill County Households	Schuylkill County Heating Oil Households
39,734	18,734

680 Schuylkill County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 12 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Schuylkill County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Schuylkill County community relies on its 680 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 Schuylkill County, two of the closest terminals are Etmt in Montello, PA and Lucknow in SinkingSprings, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Schuylkill County.