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

Otsego County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Otsego 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 Otsego County

Heating oil has become less popular in Otsego County. In the 10 years since 2012, the number of heating oil homes fell from 2,082,821 to 1,379,410, a 33.77% drop.

Otsego 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 Otsego County

Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 228,189 to 371,184.

Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 3,971,363 to 4,593,346.

Electricity use for home heating in Otsego County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Otsego County. Since 2012, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 682,406 to 1,040,155, a 52.42% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Otsego 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 Otsego County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 369.85% increase from 2012, when only 1,801 homes had installed active solar heating.

Otsego County Heating Oil Trends

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

Short Term Trends

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

Otsego County Average Winter Temperature

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

Otsego County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Otsego County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 26 heating oil companies that serve Otsego 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 70 “full-service” oil companies that serve Otsego County. Full service companies such as Reinhardt Corp or Reinhardt Corp 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 Otsego 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 Otsego County include Reese Marshall and Worcester Fuel Oil Inc Cash Oil Assoc.

Otsego County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Otsego County: 26 companies

Average Number Of Otsego County Homes Served Per Company: 238 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Otsego County Oil Company: 114,694 gallons per year

Otsego County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

6,188 households in Otsego County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Otsego County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

34% of Otsego County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Otsego County Households	Otsego County Heating Oil Households
17,895	6,188

122 Otsego County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 3 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Otsego County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Otsego County community relies on its 122 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 Otsego 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 Otsego County.