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

Herkimer County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Herkimer 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 Herkimer County

Heating oil has become less popular in Herkimer County. In the 4 years since 2018, the number of heating oil homes fell from 1,592,482 to 1,379,410, a 13.38% drop.

Herkimer 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 Herkimer County

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 283,653 to 371,184.

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 4,286,403 to 4,593,346.

Electricity use for home heating in Herkimer County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Herkimer County. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 840,252 to 1,040,155, a 23.79% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Herkimer 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 Herkimer County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 70.85% increase from 2018, when only 4,953 homes had installed active solar heating.

Herkimer County Heating Oil Trends

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

Short Term Trends

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

Herkimer County Average Winter Temperature

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

Herkimer County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Herkimer County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 28 heating oil companies that serve Herkimer 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 43 “full-service” oil companies that serve Herkimer County. Full service companies such as Thermo Petroleum Products Inc or Harbor Point Energy Products 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 Herkimer 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 Herkimer County include Conservative Petroleum LLC and Oneida County Boiler Works Inc.

Herkimer County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Herkimer County: 28 companies

Average Number Of Herkimer County Homes Served Per Company: 157 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Herkimer County Oil Company: 75,831 gallons per year

Herkimer County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

4,406 households in Herkimer County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Herkimer County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

21% of Herkimer County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Herkimer County Households	Herkimer County Heating Oil Households
20,603	4,406

159 Herkimer County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 2 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Herkimer County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Herkimer County community relies on its 159 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 Herkimer 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 Herkimer County.