Sussex 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 Sussex County, the average outside temperature was 6.7° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Sussex County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	47.3° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	40.6° F

Sussex County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

8,827 households in Sussex County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Sussex County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

9% of Sussex County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Sussex County Households	Sussex County Heating Oil Households
97,469	8,827

122 Sussex County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 4 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Sussex County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Sussex County community relies on its 122 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 Sussex County, two of the closest terminals are Sunoco in Salisbury, MD and Pbfenergy in Delaware City, DE. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Sussex County.