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

Westchester County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Westchester 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 Westchester County

Heating oil has become less popular in Westchester County. In the 4 years since 2018, the number of heating oil homes fell from 1,592,482 to 1,379,410, a 13.38% drop.

Westchester 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 Westchester County

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 283,653 to 371,184.

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 4,286,403 to 4,593,346.

Electricity use for home heating in Westchester County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Westchester County. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 840,252 to 1,040,155, a 23.79% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Westchester 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 Westchester County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 70.85% increase from 2018, when only 4,953 homes had installed active solar heating.

Westchester County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Westchester County homeowners purchased a total of 57 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Westchester County Average Winter Temperature

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

Westchester County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Westchester County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 265 heating oil companies that serve Westchester 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 2330 “full-service” oil companies that serve Westchester County. Full service companies such as Superior Fuel Oil Inc or Action Fuel Oil 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 Westchester 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 Westchester County include Talon Heating & Cooling LLC and bobby aloi plumbing and heating.

Westchester County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Westchester County: 265 companies

Average Number Of Westchester County Homes Served Per Company: 443 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Westchester County Oil Company: 213,923 gallons per year

Westchester County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

117,636 households in Westchester County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Westchester County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

31% of Westchester County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Westchester County Households	Westchester County Heating Oil Households
375,773	117,636

7,468 Westchester County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 57 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Westchester County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Westchester County community relies on its 7,468 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 Westchester County, two of the closest terminals are Westmore in Mt. Vernon, NY and Globalcar in Newburgh, NY. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Westchester County.