Date	Average Oil Price
11/21/2024	$3.346
11/20/2024	$3.346
11/19/2024	$3.346
11/18/2024	$3.376
11/17/2024	$3.262
11/16/2024	$3.262
11/15/2024	$3.262
11/14/2024	$3.262
11/13/2024	$3.376
11/12/2024	$3.376
11/11/2024	$3.383
11/10/2024	$3.392
11/09/2024	$3.392
11/08/2024	$3.191
11/07/2024	$3.191
11/06/2024	$3.191
11/05/2024	$3.191
11/04/2024	$3.191
11/03/2024	$3.191
11/02/2024	$3.191
11/01/2024	$3.191
10/31/2024	$3.191
10/30/2024	$3.190
10/29/2024	$3.058
10/28/2024	$3.058
10/27/2024	$3.058
10/26/2024	$3.058
10/25/2024	$3.058
10/24/2024	$3.058
10/23/2024	$3.058

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

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

Northampton County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Northampton 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 Northampton County

Heating oil has become less popular in Northampton County. In the 9 years since 2013, the number of heating oil homes fell from 963,754 to 786,449, a 18.40% drop.

Northampton 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 Northampton County

Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 185,329 to 256,098.

Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,533,121 to 2,698,438.

Electricity use for home heating in Northampton County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Northampton County. Since 2013, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,025,696 to 1,275,546, a 24.36% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Northampton 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 Northampton County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 222.28% increase from 2013, when only 1,270 homes had installed active solar heating.

Northampton County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Northampton County homeowners purchased a total of 20 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Northampton 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 Northampton County, the average outside temperature was 6.3° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Northampton County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2023 - 2024	34.5° F
Winter 2022 - 2023	28.2° F

Northampton County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Northampton County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 30 heating oil companies that serve Northampton 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 56 “full-service” oil companies that serve Northampton County. Full service companies such as Wisser Coal & Fuel Oil or DeSousa Oil & Service Corp 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 Northampton 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 Northampton County include Aerni & Hitzel Fuel Inc and Lehigh Fuels Llc.

Northampton County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Northampton County: 30 companies

Average Number Of Northampton County Homes Served Per Company: 1,038 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Northampton County Oil Company: 669,960 gallons per year

Northampton County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

Approximately 31,147 households in Northampton County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Northampton County temperatures drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

23% of Northampton County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Northampton County Households	Northampton County Heating Oil Households
133,797	31,147

340 Northampton County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 20 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Northampton County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Northampton County community relies on its 340 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 Northampton County, two of the closest terminals are Spmt in Fullerton, PA and Lucknow in Fullerton, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Northampton County.