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

Homeowners have a choice of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most popular choice in Schuylkill, used by 2,796,352 or 52% of households. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Schuylkill families is Electricity, used by 1,447,260 homes (27%). The remaining 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

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

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Schuylkill

Between 2021 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel grew 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 shot up from 2,677,533 to 2,796,352, a 4% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Schuylkill

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

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Schuylkill

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. Currently, 7,204 homes in Schuylkill are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 48% gain from 2021, when 4,867 homes utilized 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 oil use varies annually correlating with how cold it gets each winter. As the temperature outside gets more chilly, homes’ furnaces need to burn more and more oil to keep the house warm inside. 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 homeowners heating with fuel oil, selecting which of the 16 heating oil companies that serve Schuylkill can drastically impact the cost of home heating.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who want 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 homeowners annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and heating system repair. With an automatic number two heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s fuel oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The family does not need to monitor the level of the oil tank or place individual orders.

Discount Oil Companies: also referred to as “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for homeowners who are on a budget. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the heating 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 Schuylkill cash heating oil companies serving Schuylkill include Tirpak Energy and Liberty Oil & Propane.

Schuylkill Oil Company Statistics: 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 households 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 homes rely on 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 Serving The Community

With 507,486,889 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Schuylkill families during this past winter, the Schuylkill community looks to its 139 oil companies when temperatures dip. Oil delivery can be summed up in two steps: 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 number two heating oil to residences and companies throughout Schuylkill and the surrounding region.