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Delaware County Heating Oil Price History

Updated Today at 12:00 AM

DateAverage Oil Price
12/21/2024$3.306
12/20/2024$3.306
12/19/2024$3.306
12/18/2024$3.302
12/17/2024$3.301
12/16/2024$3.301
12/15/2024$3.301
12/14/2024$3.301
12/13/2024$3.301
12/12/2024$3.301
12/11/2024$3.301
12/10/2024$3.281
12/09/2024$3.446
12/08/2024$3.446
12/07/2024$3.446
12/06/2024$3.446
12/05/2024$3.446
12/04/2024$3.402
12/03/2024$3.403
12/02/2024$3.254
12/01/2024$3.254
11/30/2024$3.254
11/29/2024$3.254
11/28/2024$3.254
11/27/2024$3.254
11/26/2024$3.254
11/25/2024$3.254
11/24/2024$3.254
11/23/2024$3.254
11/22/2024$3.254

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

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

Delaware County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

FuelDelaware County Households % of Households
Natural Gas2.6M51.8%
Electricity1.2M24.5%
Heating Oil786,44915.1%
Propane256,0984.9%
Wood122,4352.4%
Coal51,5311.0%
Other Fuels50,5061.0%
No Fuel33,3560.6%
Solar4,0930.1%

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 Delaware County

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

Delaware County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

YearHeating Oil Households
20111.0M
20121.0M
2013963,754
2014930,735
2015899,276
2016864,952
2017843,020
2018828,104
2019814,213
2020811,086
2021790,823
2022786,449

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Delaware 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 Delaware County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Delaware 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 Delaware 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 Delaware 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.

Delaware County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Delaware County homeowners purchased a total of 34 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Delaware County Average Winter Temperature

Heating SeasonAverage Temperature
2024 - 202537.7° F
2023 - 202434.6° F

Delaware County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Delaware County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 41 heating oil companies that serve Delaware 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 274 “full-service” oil companies that serve Delaware County. Full service companies such as Royal Petroleum Inc or Wister Coal & Fuel Oil Co 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 Delaware 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 Delaware County include Mauger & Company Inc and Brandywine Fuel.

Delaware County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Delaware County: 41 companies

Average Number Of Delaware County Homes Served Per Company: 1,280 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Delaware County Oil Company: 826,017 gallons per year

Delaware County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

Approximately 52,483 households in Delaware County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Delaware County temperatures drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

5% of Delaware County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Delaware County HouseholdsDelaware County Heating Oil Households
903,50152,483

929 Delaware County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 34 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Delaware County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Delaware County community relies on its 929 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 Delaware County, two of the closest terminals are Pbf S in Philadelphia, PA and Etmt in Westville, NJ. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Delaware County.