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Search New Kent County, VA Local Heating Oil Deals by City

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

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Electricity is the most popular choice in New Kent County, used by 1,887,993 or 56.72% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for New Kent County homeowners is natural gas, used by 1,101,616 homes (33.09%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (153,698), heating oil (129,907), wood (65,453), and other fuels (41,045).

New Kent County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

FuelNew Kent County Households % of Households
Electricity1.8M56.72%
Natural Gas1.1M33.09%
Propane153,6984.62%
Heating Oil129,9073.90%
Wood65,4531.97%
No Fuel24,3140.73%
Other Fuels12,4890.38%
Solar2,7510.08%
Coal1,4910.04%

Electricity (56.72)

Natural gas (33.09)

Propane (4.62)

Heating oil (3.90)

Wood (1.97)

No fuel (0.73)

Other fuels (0.38)

Solar (0.08)

Coal (0.04)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in New Kent County

Heating oil has become less popular in New Kent County. In the 10 years since 2012, the number of heating oil homes fell from 211,492 to 129,907, a 38.58% drop.

New Kent County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

YearHeating Oil Households
2011228,988
2012211,492
2013195,333
2014182,928
2015171,696
2016162,011
2017154,885
2018148,684
2019141,997
2020137,208
2021128,923
2022129,907

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in New Kent County

Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 136,687 to 153,698.

Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,026,182 to 1,101,616.

Electricity use for home heating in New Kent County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in New Kent County. Since 2012, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,529,794 to 1,887,993, a 23.41% increase.

Solar use for home heating in New Kent 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, 2,751 homes in New Kent County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 550.35% increase from 2012, when only 423 homes had installed active solar heating.

New Kent County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, New Kent County homeowners purchased a total of 3,019 gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

New Kent 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 New Kent County, the average outside temperature was 4.3° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

New Kent County Average Winter Temperature

Heating SeasonAverage Temperature
Winter 2022 - 202348° F
Winter 2021 - 202243.7° F

New Kent County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For New Kent County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 16 heating oil companies that serve New Kent 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 1 “full-service” oil companies that serve New Kent County. Full service companies such as Hungerford Heating & Cooling or undefined 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 New Kent 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 New Kent County include Hanover Air Systems and Blazer Heating, Air, & Plumbing.

New Kent County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving New Kent County: 16 companies

Average Gallons Delivered per New Kent County Oil Company: 188 gallons per year

New Kent County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

0% of New Kent County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

New Kent County HouseholdsNew Kent County Heating Oil Households
2,3485

16 New Kent County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 3,019 gallons of heating oil delivered to New Kent County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the New Kent County community relies on its 16 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 New Kent County, two of the closest terminals are Kinder-m2 in Richmond, VA and 1st Enrgy in Richmond, VA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in New Kent County.

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