Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Berkshire County, used by 1,462,335 or 52.38% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Berkshire County homeowners is heating oil, used by 663,749 homes (23.78%). The remaining homes are heated with electricity (490,395), propane (123,474), wood (34,021), and other fuels (50,956).

Berkshire County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Berkshire County Households	% of Households
Natural Gas	1.4M	52.38%
Heating Oil	663,749	23.78%
Electricity	490,395	17.57%
Propane	123,474	4.42%
Wood	34,021	1.22%
Other Fuels	24,655	0.88%
No Fuel	19,283	0.69%
Solar	5,465	0.20%
Coal	1,553	0.06%

Natural gas (52.38)

Heating oil (23.78)

Electricity (17.57)

Propane (4.42)

Wood (1.22)

Other fuels (0.88)

No fuel (0.69)

Solar (0.20)

Coal (0.06)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Berkshire County

Heating oil has become less popular in Berkshire County. In the 9 years since 2013, the number of heating oil homes fell from 798,470 to 663,749, a 16.87% drop.

Berkshire County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	851,319
2012	827,983
2013	798,470
2014	770,791
2015	746,949
2016	723,433
2017	707,835
2018	690,486
2019	678,224
2020	667,484
2021	662,876
2022	663,749

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Berkshire County

Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 69,678 to 123,474.

Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,241,379 to 1,462,335.

Electricity use for home heating in Berkshire County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Berkshire County. Since 2013, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 353,733 to 490,395, a 38.63% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Berkshire 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, 5,465 homes in Berkshire County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 512.67% increase from 2013, when only 892 homes had installed active solar heating.

Berkshire County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Berkshire County homeowners purchased a total of 13 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Berkshire 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 Berkshire County, the average outside temperature was 5.3° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Berkshire County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	42.7° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	37.4° F

Berkshire County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Berkshire County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 42 heating oil companies that serve Berkshire 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 31 “full-service” oil companies that serve Berkshire County. Full service companies such as Lipton Energy or West Oil Company Inc 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 Berkshire 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 Berkshire County include Clifford Oil and Hungerford Heating & Cooling.

Berkshire County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Berkshire County: 42 companies

Average Number Of Berkshire County Homes Served Per Company: 364 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Berkshire County Oil Company: 319,503 gallons per year

Berkshire County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

14,897 households in Berkshire County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Berkshire County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

30% of Berkshire County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Berkshire County Households	Berkshire County Heating Oil Households
49,625	14,897

510 Berkshire County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 13 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Berkshire County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Berkshire County community relies on its 510 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 Berkshire County, two of the closest terminals are Citgo in Albany, NY and Buckeye in Rensselaer, NY. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Berkshire County.