New Castle County Heating Oil Price History
Updated on October 7, 2025 at 09:00 PM
| Date | Price |
|---|---|
| 10/07/2025 | $3.204 |
| 10/06/2025 | $3.204 |
| 10/03/2025 | $3.206 |
| 10/02/2025 | $3.248 |
| 10/01/2025 | $3.186 |
| 09/30/2025 | $3.228 |
| 09/29/2025 | $3.130 |
| 09/26/2025 | $3.231 |
| 09/25/2025 | $3.218 |
| 09/24/2025 | $3.222 |
| 09/23/2025 | $2.968 |
| 09/22/2025 | $3.234 |
| 09/19/2025 | $3.216 |
| 09/18/2025 | $3.236 |
| 09/17/2025 | $3.184 |
| 09/16/2025 | $3.229 |
| 09/15/2025 | $2.962 |
| 09/12/2025 | $3.157 |
| 09/11/2025 | $2.962 |
| 09/10/2025 | $3.159 |
| 09/09/2025 | $3.163 |
| 09/08/2025 | $3.182 |
| 09/05/2025 | $3.188 |
| 09/04/2025 | $3.144 |
| 09/03/2025 | $3.133 |
| 09/02/2025 | $3.116 |
| 09/01/2025 | $3.108 |
| 08/29/2025 | $3.109 |
| 08/28/2025 | $3.101 |
| 08/27/2025 | $3.073 |
Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: New Castle County Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in New Castle County, used by 2,618,092 or 74.00% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for New Castle 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 (19,813).
New Castle County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
| Fuel | New Castle County Households | % of Households |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Gas | 2.6M | 74.0% |
| Electricity | 532,344 | 15.1% |
| Heating Oil | 258,381 | 7.3% |
| Propane | 91,132 | 2.6% |
| No Fuel | 30,011 | 0.9% |
| Other Fuels | 19,813 | 0.6% |
| Wood | 12,502 | 0.3% |
| Solar | 7,334 | 0.2% |
| Coal | 971 | 0.0% |
Natural gas (74.0%)
Electricity (15.1%)
Heating oil (7.3%)
Propane (2.6%)
No fuel (0.9%)
Other fuels (0.6%)
Wood (0.3%)
Solar (0.2%)
Coal (0.0%)
#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in New Castle County
Heating oil has become less popular in New Castle County. In the 5 years since 2017, the number of heating oil homes fell from 298,525 to 258,381, a 13.45% drop.
New Castle 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 New Castle County
Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 61,831 to 91,132.
Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,396,108 to 2,618,092.
Electricity use for home heating in New Castle County
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in New Castle County. Since 2017, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 397,564 to 532,344, a 33.90% increase.
Solar use for home heating in New Castle 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 New Castle County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 213.82% increase from 2017, when only 2,337 homes had installed active solar heating.
New Castle County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, New Castle County homeowners purchased a total of 0 gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
New Castle 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 New Castle County, the average outside temperature was 2.6° F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
New Castle County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 38° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 40.6° F |
