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Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Queens County Home Heating Fuel Comparison

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

Queens County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Queens 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 Queens County

Heating oil has become less popular in Queens 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.

Queens 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 Queens 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 Queens County

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

Queens County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Queens County homeowners purchased a total of 46 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Queens County Average Winter Temperature

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

Queens County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Queens County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 526 heating oil companies that serve Queens 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 1834 “full-service” oil companies that serve Queens County. Full service companies such as Plitnick Home Fuel & Service Co LLC or Nrg Heat & Power 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 Queens 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 Queens County include Ultimate Plumbing Corporation and Ronco Oil Inc.

Queens County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Queens County: 526 companies

Average Number Of Queens County Homes Served Per Company: 179 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Queens County Oil Company: 86,742 gallons per year

Queens County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

94,679 households in Queens County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Queens County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

11% of Queens County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Queens County Households	Queens County Heating Oil Households
839,707	94,679

6,589 Queens County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 46 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Queens County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Queens County community relies on its 6,589 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 Queens 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 Queens County.