Howard 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 Howard County, the average outside temperature was 3.0° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Howard County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	49° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	46° F

Howard County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

6,537 households in Howard County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Howard County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

4% of Howard County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Howard County Households	Howard County Heating Oil Households
148,047	6,537

245 Howard County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 3 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Howard County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Howard County community relies on its 245 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 Howard County, two of the closest terminals are Buckeye in Baltimore, MD and Center Pt in Baltimore, MD. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Howard County.