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

Schoharie County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Schoharie 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 Schoharie County

Heating oil has become less popular in Schoharie County. In the 6 years since 2016, the number of heating oil homes fell from 1,732,065 to 1,379,410, a 20.36% drop.

Schoharie 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 Schoharie County

Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 261,912 to 371,184.

Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 4,161,669 to 4,593,346.

Electricity use for home heating in Schoharie County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Schoharie County. Since 2016, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 801,149 to 1,040,155, a 29.83% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Schoharie 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 Schoharie County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 152.75% increase from 2016, when only 3,348 homes had installed active solar heating.

Schoharie County Heating Oil Trends

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

Short Term Trends

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

Schoharie County Average Winter Temperature

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

Schoharie County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Schoharie County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 41 heating oil companies that serve Schoharie 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 63 “full-service” oil companies that serve Schoharie County. Full service companies such as Pne Transportation Inc Egelston Oil Company or Grantier Oil Company Inc 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 Schoharie 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 Schoharie County include Rotterdam Heating & Air Conditioning and LOU'S ELECTRIC OF AMSTERDAM.

Schoharie County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Schoharie County: 41 companies

Average Number Of Schoharie County Homes Served Per Company: 130 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Schoharie County Oil Company: 63,082 gallons per year

Schoharie County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

5,367 households in Schoharie County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Schoharie County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

44% of Schoharie County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Schoharie County Households	Schoharie County Heating Oil Households
12,019	5,367

216 Schoharie County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 3 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Schoharie County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Schoharie County community relies on its 216 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 Schoharie County, two of the closest terminals are Apex in Albany, NY and Citgo in Albany, NY. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Schoharie County.