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

Suffolk County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Suffolk 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 Suffolk County

Heating oil has become less popular in Suffolk 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.

Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk County

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

Suffolk County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Suffolk County homeowners purchased a total of 117 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Suffolk County Average Winter Temperature

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

Suffolk County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Suffolk County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 667 heating oil companies that serve Suffolk 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 4945 “full-service” oil companies that serve Suffolk County. Full service companies such as J W Piccozzi Inc Piccozzi's Fuel Oil Co or W C Esp 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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk County include East End Container Service Inc East End Fuel and R M Steffens Plumbing & Heating Inc.

Suffolk County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Suffolk County: 667 companies

Average Number Of Suffolk County Homes Served Per Company: 364 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Suffolk County Oil Company: 175,855 gallons per year

Suffolk County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

243,398 households in Suffolk County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Suffolk County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

46% of Suffolk County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Suffolk County Households	Suffolk County Heating Oil Households
526,512	243,398

31,489 Suffolk County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 117 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Suffolk County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Suffolk County community relies on its 31,489 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 Suffolk County, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Bridgeport, CT and N.h.term in New Haven, CT. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Suffolk County.