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Search Hamilton County, NY Local Heating Oil Deals by City

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Inlet, NY

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Lake Pleasant, NY

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Northville, NY

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Raquette Lake, NY

Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Hamilton County Home Heating Fuel Comparison

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

Hamilton County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Hamilton 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 Hamilton County

Heating oil has become less popular in Hamilton County. In the 7 years since 2015, the number of heating oil homes fell from 1,819,152 to 1,379,410, a 24.17% drop.

Hamilton 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 Hamilton County

Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 251,521 to 371,184.

Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 4,122,437 to 4,593,346.

Electricity use for home heating in Hamilton County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Hamilton County. Since 2015, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 769,345 to 1,040,155, a 35.20% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Hamilton 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 Hamilton County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 223.59% increase from 2015, when only 2,615 homes had installed active solar heating.

Hamilton County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Hamilton County homeowners purchased a total of 438,054 gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Hamilton County Average Winter Temperature

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

Hamilton County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Hamilton County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 11 heating oil companies that serve Hamilton 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 4 “full-service” oil companies that serve Hamilton County. Full service companies such as Helmers Fuel & Trucking Inc or Raquette Lake Supply 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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton County include Clark Energy LLC and Clark Energy LLC.

Hamilton County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Hamilton County: 11 companies

Average Number Of Hamilton County Homes Served Per Company: 82 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Hamilton County Oil Company: 39,823 gallons per year

Hamilton County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

45% of Hamilton County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Hamilton County Households	Hamilton County Heating Oil Households
2,009	909

14 Hamilton County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 438,054 gallons of heating oil delivered to Hamilton County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Hamilton County community relies on its 14 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 Hamilton County, two of the closest terminals are Buckeye in Utica, NY and Sunoco in Marcy, NY. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Hamilton County.