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

Monroe County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Monroe 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 Monroe County

Heating oil has become less popular in Monroe 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.

Monroe 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 Monroe 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 Monroe County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Monroe 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 Monroe 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 Monroe 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.

Monroe County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Monroe County homeowners purchased a total of 3 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Monroe County Average Winter Temperature

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

Monroe County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Monroe County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 37 heating oil companies that serve Monroe 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 2 “full-service” oil companies that serve Monroe County. Full service companies such as Dave Reisdorf Inc Reisdorf Oil & Propane or Dave Reisdorf Inc Reisdorf Oil & Propane 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 Monroe 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 Monroe County include WINTER'S HEATING & COOLING and Excellent Air Heating and Cooling.

Monroe County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Monroe County: 37 companies

Average Number Of Monroe County Homes Served Per Company: 141 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Monroe County Oil Company: 68,105 gallons per year

Monroe County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

5,229 households in Monroe County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Monroe County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

1% of Monroe County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Monroe County Households	Monroe County Heating Oil Households
312,667	5,229

546 Monroe County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 3 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Monroe County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Monroe County community relies on its 546 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 Monroe County, two of the closest terminals are Buckeye S in Rochester, NY and Sunoco in Rochester, NY. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Monroe County.