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

Madison County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Madison 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 Madison County

Heating oil has become less popular in Madison County. In the 9 years since 2013, the number of heating oil homes fell from 1,986,090 to 1,379,410, a 30.55% drop.

Madison 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 Madison County

Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 236,289 to 371,184.

Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 4,019,230 to 4,593,346.

Electricity use for home heating in Madison County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Madison County. Since 2013, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 711,860 to 1,040,155, a 46.12% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Madison 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 Madison County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 307.41% increase from 2013, when only 2,077 homes had installed active solar heating.

Madison County Heating Oil Trends

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

Short Term Trends

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

Madison County Average Winter Temperature

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

Madison County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Madison County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 28 heating oil companies that serve Madison 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 21 “full-service” oil companies that serve Madison County. Full service companies such as Thermo Petroleum Products Inc or Broedel Fuel Group 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 Madison 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 Madison County include Wade Cornett Heating and Oneida County Boiler Works Inc.

Madison County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Madison County: 28 companies

Average Number Of Madison County Homes Served Per Company: 132 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Madison County Oil Company: 63,749 gallons per year

Madison County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

3,704 households in Madison County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Madison County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

24% of Madison County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Madison County Households	Madison County Heating Oil Households
15,294	3,704

233 Madison County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 2 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Madison County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Madison County community relies on its 233 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 Madison County, two of the closest terminals are Buckeye in Marcy, NY and Sunoco in Marcy, NY. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Madison County.