Heating and air conditioning in Bucks County, PA: what homeowners should check
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What sets Bucks County apart for heating and cooling?
Oil. The Census Bureau estimates that 23.6 percent of the county's occupied homes heat mainly with fuel oil or kerosene, a larger share than in any of the other four counties in and around Philadelphia, and well above the state's 14.0 percent. Gas heats 43.1 percent of Bucks homes, the smallest share of the five. If you live here, there is a good chance the person servicing your heat is working on an oil burner.
| Main heating fuel | Bucks County | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Gas | 43.1% | 56.4% |
| Electricity | 30.9% | 25.3% |
| Fuel oil or kerosene | 23.6% | 14.0% |
| Other fuels | 2.0% | 3.8% |
The figures come from the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 profile of Bucks County, which covers 249,187 occupied homes out of 257,260 housing units. They count fuel, not equipment, so they do not say whether an oil-heated house has a furnace and ducts or a boiler and radiators.
What does oil heat mean for yearly service?
It means the yearly visit matters for safety as well as efficiency. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says gas- and oil-burning furnaces produce carbon monoxide, and advises having the heating system and any other oil- or gas-burning appliance serviced by a qualified technician every year. When you call for service, say that the system burns oil and ask whether the technician who comes will be equipped to service it.
What should you weigh when an oil system needs replacing?
ENERGY STAR's figures show why the choice is worth some thought. Its certified oil furnaces must be rated at least 87 percent AFUE and are up to 4 percent more efficient than baseline models, against up to 18 percent for certified gas furnaces in the northern states. Its certified oil boilers are about 1 percent more efficient than the federal standard.
ENERGY STAR also lists lower energy bills among the reasons to switch from oil to a heat pump, and suggests a dual-fuel setup, a heat pump paired with a furnace, as one option. It says that where winters regularly drop below freezing you should ask for a cold-climate model. Whether gas service reaches your street, and what each option costs to run in your house, are questions for the contractors bidding the job. National price ranges for each type are in the cost guide.
How old are Bucks County homes, and why does it matter here?
Younger than most in the region. Only 9.9 percent of the county's housing was first built in 1939 or earlier, the smallest share of the five counties, against 25.0 percent statewide. Another 5.7 percent has gone up since 2010. Most of the stock dates from the decades in between, and one large piece of it is Levittown: slightly more than 17,300 houses built between 1952 and 1958 across Bristol, Falls and Middletown Townships and Tullytown Borough, on concrete slabs, according to the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia.
Homes here are also large by the state's measure, with a median of 6.7 rooms against 6.0 statewide. ENERGY STAR says a new system should be sized to the house by a load calculation, not copied from the old unit; in a larger house the old unit's size is not a safe guide to the new one's.
Is there help with heating costs for oil customers?
Yes. Pennsylvania's LIHEAP grants, $200 to $1,000 depending on household size, income and fuel type, can be paid to a fuel company as well as a utility. Crisis grants cover a household that is out of fuel or has less than a 15-day supply, and broken heating equipment that must be fixed or replaced. In Bucks, as elsewhere, you apply through COMPASS or the county assistance office.
Who issues permits, and where do you complain?
Permits come from your township or borough. Under the state's construction code regulation, replacing a furnace, boiler or air conditioner generally needs a permit from the local building code official, and an emergency replacement can be done first if the application follows within 3 business days.
For disputes, the county runs its own office. Bucks County Consumer Protection mediates complaints against businesses, whether or not they are based in the county, and lists false claims that repairs are needed and unsatisfactory home repairs among the problems it handles. That is useful in a county where 77.8 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied, the highest rate of the five, so most households hire and pay contractors themselves.
The state registration rules and how to check a number are in what Pennsylvania requires of HVAC contractors. Businesses serving the county are on the Bucks County HVAC contractors page.
Sources
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Chester County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Delaware County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- Furnaces, ENERGY STAR
- Furnaces Key Product Criteria, ENERGY STAR
- Boilers, ENERGY STAR
- Air-Source Heat Pumps, ENERGY STAR
- Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisoning Basics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Apply for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
- 34 Pa. Code § 403.62. Permit requirements and exemptions., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
- Consumer Protection/ Weights & Measures, Bucks County
- Levittowns (Pennsylvania and New Jersey), Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia