Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Heating oil is the most popular choice in New London County, used by 539,715 or 38.13% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for New London County homeowners is natural gas, used by 516,459 homes (36.49%). The remaining homes are heated with electricity (244,511), propane (75,150), wood (23,585), and other fuels (30,431).

New London County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	New London County Households	% of Households
Heating Oil	539,715	38.13%
Natural Gas	516,459	36.49%
Electricity	244,511	17.27%
Propane	75,150	5.31%
Wood	23,585	1.67%
Other Fuels	18,400	1.30%
No Fuel	9,314	0.66%
Solar	1,852	0.13%
Coal	865	0.06%

Heating oil (38.13)

Natural gas (36.49)

Electricity (17.27)

Propane (5.31)

Wood (1.67)

Other fuels (1.30)

No fuel (0.66)

Solar (0.13)

Coal (0.06)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in New London County

Heating oil has become less popular in New London County. In the 4 years since 2018, the number of heating oil homes fell from 565,439 to 539,715, a 4.55% drop.

New London County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	654,783
2012	644,340
2013	627,716
2014	613,504
2015	595,244
2016	581,382
2017	574,588
2018	565,439
2019	556,309
2020	551,817
2021	544,406
2022	539,715

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in New London County

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 55,429 to 75,150.

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 481,116 to 516,459.

Electricity use for home heating in New London County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in New London County. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 221,755 to 244,511, a 10.26% increase.

Solar use for home heating in New London County

Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all space heating fuels. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid is circulated between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank in the basement.

Currently, 1,852 homes in New London County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 79.46% increase from 2018, when only 1,032 homes had installed active solar heating.

New London County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, New London County homeowners purchased a total of 42 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

New London 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 New London County, the average outside temperature was 7.2° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

New London County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	44.5° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	37.3° F

New London County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For New London County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 193 heating oil companies that serve New London County is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 801 “full-service” oil companies that serve New London County. Full service companies such as Aaa Oil Company or CW Knight Oil & Heating LLC offer automatic fuel delivery and furnace repair under a single roof.

Discount Oil Companies: Also known by the names “COD Fuel Companies” or “Cash Heating Oil Companies”, these companies are for the budget-conscious New London County homeowner. In return for better prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank and place an order when you run low on oil. Examples of cash heating oil companies that serve New London County include mountain air and Asi Oil LLC.

New London County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving New London County: 193 companies

Average Number Of New London County Homes Served Per Company: 293 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per New London County Oil Company: 216,072 gallons per year

New London County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

56,653 households in New London County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when New London County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

51% of New London County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

New London County Households	New London County Heating Oil Households
109,872	56,653

2,386 New London County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 42 million gallons of heating oil delivered to New London County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the New London County community relies on its 2,386 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 New London County, two of the closest terminals are Buckeye in Wethersfield, CT and Buckeyees in New Haven, CT. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in New London County.