Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Schuylkill Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homeowners have a variety of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in Schuylkill, used by 2,796,352 or 52% of households. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Schuylkill 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%).

Schuylkill 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 Schuylkill

Number two heating oil has become less popular in Schuylkill. In the 11 years since 2014, the number of families using heating oil fell from 858,758 to 663,450, a 23% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Schuylkill

Between 2014 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel shot up from 198,296 to 282,182, a 42% change. Comparing 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel shot up from 2,528,694 to 2,796,352, a 11% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Schuylkill

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Schuylkill. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity shot up from 1,087,741 to 1,447,260, a 33% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Schuylkill

The most eco-friendly heating option is solar. 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. Today, 7,204 homes in Schuylkill are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 309% gain from 2014, when 1,760 homes used active solar heating.

Schuylkill County Heating Oil Trends

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

Short Term Trends

Schuylkill’s overall number two heating oil usage fluctuates annually based on the severity of the winter. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ furnaces need to burn increasing amounts of number two heating oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Schuylkill was 29.3°F, which was 5.5°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Schuylkill County Average Winter Temperature

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

Schuylkill County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Schuylkill households heating with heating oil, choosing which of the 16 heating oil companies that serve Schuylkill is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who can afford a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 3 “full-service” oil companies that serve Schuylkill. Full service companies such as DeSousa Oil & Service Corp or Wisser Coal & Fuel Oil offer families annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic oil delivery and HVAC repair. With an automatic fuel oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The client does not need to monitor the level of the oil tank or place individual orders.

Discount Oil Companies: Often called “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for families 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. A few of the 2 Schuylkill cash heating oil companies serving Schuylkill include Tirpak Energy and Liberty Oil & Propane.

Schuylkill Fuel Oil Company By The Numbers: Heating oil Companies Serving Schuylkill: 16 companies .
Average Number of Schuylkill Homes Served per Heating Oil company : 41466

Schuylkill Heating Oil Delivery Overview

663,450 residences in Schuylkill heat their homes with oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Schuylkill temperatures drop as low as 23.2° F each winter. 12.3% of Schuylkill residences depend on fuel oil delivery each winter.

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

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

139 Schuylkill Fuel Oil Companies Go The Distance

With 507,486,889 gallons of heating oil delivered to Schuylkill homes during this past winter, the Schuylkill community depends on its 139 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 Schuylkill, two of the closest terminals are Ergon in Newell, PA and Etmt in Blawnox, PA. Then, the truck delivers the oil to residences and companies throughout Schuylkill and the surrounding area.