Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Erie County, used by 4,593,346 or 59.99% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Erie 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).

Erie County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Erie 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 Erie County

Heating oil has become less popular in Erie County. In the 11 years since 2011, the number of heating oil homes fell from 2,173,711 to 1,379,410, a 36.54% drop.

Erie 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 Erie County

Between 2011 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 224,689 to 371,184.

Between 2011 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 3,908,626 to 4,593,346.

Electricity use for home heating in Erie County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Erie County. Since 2011, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 653,872 to 1,040,155, a 59.08% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Erie 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 Erie County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 403.69% increase from 2011, when only 1,680 homes had installed active solar heating.

Erie County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Erie County homeowners purchased a total of 2 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Erie County Average Winter Temperature

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

Erie County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Erie County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 47 heating oil companies that serve Erie 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 40 “full-service” oil companies that serve Erie County. Full service companies such as Pautler Oil Service Inc or Drum Oil 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 Erie 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 Erie County include Campione Heating & Air Conditioning Inc. and Sullivan Heating and Cooling, LLC.

Erie County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Erie County: 47 companies

Average Number Of Erie County Homes Served Per Company: 74 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Erie County Oil Company: 35,948 gallons per year

Erie County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

3,506 households in Erie County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Erie County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

0% of Erie County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Erie County Households	Erie County Heating Oil Households
360,056	3,506

703 Erie County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 2 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Erie County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Erie County community relies on its 703 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 Erie County, two of the closest terminals are Buckeye in Buffalo, NY and Etmt in Tonawanda, NY. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Erie County.