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

Nassau County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Nassau 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 Nassau County

Heating oil has become less popular in Nassau 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.

Nassau 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 Nassau 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 Nassau County

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

Nassau County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Nassau County homeowners purchased a total of 65 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Nassau County Average Winter Temperature

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

Nassau County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Nassau County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 628 heating oil companies that serve Nassau 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 3742 “full-service” oil companies that serve Nassau County. Full service companies such as Lewisy Fuel Oil Inc or Beato Fuel And Appliance Corporation 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 Nassau 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 Nassau County include AnQor Plumbing & Heating and Charles McAvoy Plumbing Inc.

Nassau County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Nassau County: 628 companies

Average Number Of Nassau County Homes Served Per Company: 215 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Nassau County Oil Company: 103,754 gallons per year

Nassau County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

135,208 households in Nassau County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Nassau County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

28% of Nassau County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Nassau County Households	Nassau County Heating Oil Households
470,397	135,208

27,208 Nassau County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 65 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Nassau County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Nassau County community relies on its 27,208 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 Nassau County, two of the closest terminals are Shell in Lawrence, NY and Shell in Lawrence, NY. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Nassau County.