Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Columbia County, used by 4,593,346 or 59.99% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Columbia County homeowners is heating oil, used by 1,379,410 homes (18.02%). The remaining homes are heated with electricity (1,040,155), propane (371,184), no fuel (127,077), and other fuels (245,918).

Columbia County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Columbia County Households	% of Households
Natural Gas	4.5M	59.99%
Heating Oil	1.3M	18.02%
Electricity	1.0M	13.59%
Propane	371,184	4.85%
No Fuel	127,077	1.66%
Wood	117,324	1.53%
Other Fuels	102,644	1.34%
Coal	17,488	0.23%
Solar	8,462	0.11%

Natural gas (59.99)

Heating oil (18.02)

Electricity (13.59)

Propane (4.85)

No fuel (1.66)

Wood (1.53)

Other fuels (1.34)

Coal (0.23)

Solar (0.11)

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

Heating oil has become less popular in Columbia County. In the 3 years since 2019, the number of heating oil homes fell from 1,521,756 to 1,379,410, a 9.35% drop.

Columbia County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	2.1M
2012	2.0M
2013	1.9M
2014	1.9M
2015	1.8M
2016	1.7M
2017	1.6M
2018	1.5M
2019	1.5M
2020	1.4M
2021	1.4M
2022	1.3M

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

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 295,680 to 371,184.

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 4,345,992 to 4,593,346.

Electricity use for home heating in Columbia County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Columbia County. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 868,765 to 1,040,155, a 19.73% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Columbia 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, 8,462 homes in Columbia County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 40.10% increase from 2019, when only 6,040 homes had installed active solar heating.

Columbia County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Columbia County homeowners purchased a total of 6 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Columbia 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 Columbia County, the average outside temperature was 5.7° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Columbia County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	46.5° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	40.8° F

Columbia County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Columbia County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 75 heating oil companies that serve Columbia 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 262 “full-service” oil companies that serve Columbia County. Full service companies such as C A Albright & Sons LLC or Persico Oil Co 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 Columbia 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 Columbia County include S. T. Hudson's Son Plumbing & Heating and Collins & Son Inc.

Columbia County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Columbia County: 75 companies

Average Number Of Columbia County Homes Served Per Company: 152 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Columbia County Oil Company: 73,404 gallons per year

Columbia County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

11,424 households in Columbia County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Columbia County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

47% of Columbia County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Columbia County Households	Columbia County Heating Oil Households
24,272	11,424

810 Columbia County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 6 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Columbia County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Columbia County community relies on its 810 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 Columbia County, two of the closest terminals are Citgo in Albany, NY and Apex in Albany, NY. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Columbia County.