Date	Average Oil Price
12/21/2024	$3.004
12/20/2024	$3.106
12/19/2024	$3.103
12/18/2024	$3.106
12/17/2024	$3.107
12/16/2024	$3.107
12/15/2024	$3.099
12/14/2024	$3.099
12/13/2024	$3.099
12/12/2024	$3.099
12/11/2024	$3.067
12/10/2024	$3.063
12/09/2024	$3.095
12/08/2024	$3.099
12/07/2024	$3.099
12/06/2024	$3.099
12/05/2024	$3.103
12/04/2024	$3.099
12/03/2024	$3.100
12/02/2024	$3.100
12/01/2024	$3.100
11/30/2024	$3.100
11/29/2024	$3.100
11/28/2024	$3.103
11/27/2024	$3.103
11/26/2024	$3.105
11/25/2024	$3.202
11/24/2024	$3.196
11/23/2024	$3.196
11/22/2024	$3.112

Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Dauphin County Home Heating Fuel Comparison

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

Dauphin County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Dauphin County Households	% of Households
Natural Gas	2.6M	51.8%
Electricity	1.2M	24.5%
Heating Oil	786,449	15.1%
Propane	256,098	4.9%
Wood	122,435	2.4%
Coal	51,531	1.0%
Other Fuels	50,506	1.0%
No Fuel	33,356	0.6%
Solar	4,093	0.1%

Natural gas (51.8%)

Electricity (24.5%)

Heating oil (15.1%)

Propane (4.9%)

Wood (2.4%)

Coal (1.0%)

Other fuels (1.0%)

No fuel (0.6%)

Solar (0.1%)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Dauphin County

Heating oil has become less popular in Dauphin County. In the 10 years since 2012, the number of heating oil homes fell from 1,002,121 to 786,449, a 21.52% drop.

Dauphin 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 Dauphin County

Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 180,287 to 256,098.

Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,537,188 to 2,698,438.

Electricity use for home heating in Dauphin County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Dauphin County. Since 2012, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 997,877 to 1,275,546, a 27.83% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Dauphin 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 Dauphin County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 249.23% increase from 2012, when only 1,172 homes had installed active solar heating.

Dauphin County Heating Oil Trends

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

Short Term Trends

Dauphin 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 Dauphin County, the average outside temperature was 3.1° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Dauphin County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
2024 - 2025	37.7° F
2023 - 2024	34.6° F

Dauphin County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Dauphin County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 21 heating oil companies that serve Dauphin 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 37 “full-service” oil companies that serve Dauphin County. Full service companies such as Suburban Propane or Dolan Oil Service 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 Dauphin 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 Dauphin County include Talley Petroleum Enterprises Inc and Peggy's Fuel Oil.

Dauphin County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Dauphin County: 21 companies

Average Number Of Dauphin County Homes Served Per Company: 903 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Dauphin County Oil Company: 583,156 gallons per year

Dauphin County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

Approximately 18,978 households in Dauphin County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Dauphin County temperatures drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

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

Dauphin County Households	Dauphin County Heating Oil Households
113,615	18,978

116 Dauphin County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 12 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Dauphin County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Dauphin County community relies on its 116 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 Dauphin County, two of the closest terminals are Lucknow in Highspire, PA and Sunoco in Mechanicsburg, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Dauphin County.