Homeowners have a variety of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in Cumberland, used by 2,796,352 or 52% of families. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Cumberland households is Electricity, used by 1,447,260 homes (27%). The rest of the homes are heated with Heating Oil (12%), Propane (5%), Wood (2%), and Coal (1%).

Cumberland County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (in Number of Households)

Year	Natural Gas	Propane	Electricity	Oil	Wood	Solar	Other
2025	2,796,352	282,182	1,447,260	663,450	112,270	7,204	31,146
2024	2,785,913	276,598	1,396,275	685,083	111,416	6,155	32,085
2023	2,698,411	278,621	1,389,291	717,601	111,540	6,964	44,558
2022	2,710,114	282,625	1,337,240	742,118	105,147	5,282	41,959
2021	2,677,533	267,454	1,287,322	760,867	109,832	4,867	46,436
2020	2,656,062	251,472	1,254,850	776,616	113,900	4,554	41,326
2019	2,634,591	235,490	1,222,377	792,365	117,969	4,241	36,216
2018	2,592,386	225,476	1,198,450	806,761	128,110	2,197	35,172
2017	2,598,275	222,650	1,158,937	790,353	127,198	2,225	35,586
2016	2,551,248	209,719	1,133,797	805,822	125,583	1,639	34,565
2015	2,549,385	200,754	1,103,995	837,082	141,835	2,117	38,034
2014	2,528,694	198,296	1,087,741	858,758	148,256	1,760	36,886
2013	2,516,052	195,799	1,086,074	870,064	148,597	1,408	33,941
2012	2,530,063	188,880	1,046,982	936,674	145,089	1,484	31,494
2011	2,516,883	178,387	1,019,764	973,749	137,625	1,545	28,259
2010	2,530,446	177,562	997,925	993,832	126,074	597	29,423

Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Cumberland

Number two heating oil has become losing popularity in Cumberland. In the 4 years since 2021, the number of homeowners using oil declined from 760,867 to 663,450, a 13% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Cumberland

Between 2021 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel shot up from 267,454 to 282,182, a 6% change. Comparing 2021 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,677,533 to 2,796,352, a 4% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Cumberland

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Cumberland. Since 2021, the number of homes heating with electricity increased from 1,287,322 to 1,447,260, a 12% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Cumberland

Out of all fuels, solar is the safest for the environment. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid is circulated between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank (similar to a hot water heater) in the basement. Now, 7,204 homes in Cumberland are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 48% gain from 2021, when 4,867 homes had 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’s overall fuel oil use varies yearly primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside drops, homes’ heating systems need to burn increasing amounts of number two heating oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Cumberland was 29.3°F, which was 5.5°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Cumberland County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
2024 - 2025	29.3° F
2023 - 2024	34.8° F

Cumberland County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Cumberland homeowners heating with fuel oil, choosing which of the 15 heating oil companies that serve Cumberland makes a big difference.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who prefer a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 31 “full-service” oil companies that serve Cumberland. Full service companies such as Suburban Propane or Smart Touch Energy offer families annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and HVAC repair. With an automatic oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s number two heating oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The homeowner does not need to monitor the level of the oil tank or place individual orders.

Discount Oil Companies: Also known by the names “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for households who are on a budget. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the fuel oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order either when the level runs low or just before a major snowstorm. Examples of 2 Cumberland cash heating oil companies serving Cumberland include Marstellar Oil & Concrete Inc and JCM Energy Plus LLC.

Cumberland Number Two Heating Oil Company Statistics: Number two heating oil Companies Serving Cumberland: 15 companies .
Average Number of Cumberland Homes Served per Heating Oil company : 44230

Cumberland Heating Oil Delivery Overview

663,450 homes in Cumberland heat their homes with number two heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Cumberland temperatures drop as low as 23.2° F each winter. 12.3% of Cumberland families rely on number two heating oil delivery each winter.

6.1% of Cumberland County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Cumberland County Households	Cumberland County Heating Oil Households
10.7M	663,450

81 Cumberland Number Two Heating Oil Companies Go The Distance

With 507,486,889 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Cumberland houses during this past winter, the Cumberland community depends on its 81 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. Oil delivery is a two step process: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of Cumberland, two of the closest terminals are Ergon in Newell, PA and Etmt in Blawnox, PA. Then, the truck delivers the fuel oil to residences and companies throughout Cumberland and the surrounding area.

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