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

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Electricity is the most popular choice in Suffolk County, used by 1,887,993 or 56.72% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Suffolk 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).

Suffolk County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Suffolk County Households	% of Households
Electricity	1.8M	56.72%
Natural Gas	1.1M	33.09%
Propane	153,698	4.62%
Heating Oil	129,907	3.90%
Wood	65,453	1.97%
No Fuel	24,314	0.73%
Other Fuels	12,489	0.38%
Solar	2,751	0.08%
Coal	1,491	0.04%

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 Suffolk County

Heating oil has become less popular in Suffolk County. In the 3 years since 2019, the number of heating oil homes fell from 141,997 to 129,907, a 8.51% drop.

Suffolk County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	228,988
2012	211,492
2013	195,333
2014	182,928
2015	171,696
2016	162,011
2017	154,885
2018	148,684
2019	141,997
2020	137,208
2021	128,923
2022	129,907

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Suffolk County

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 137,228 to 153,698.

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,043,666 to 1,101,616.

Electricity use for home heating in Suffolk County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Suffolk County. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,732,234 to 1,887,993, a 8.99% 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, 2,751 homes in Suffolk County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 132.74% increase from 2019, when only 1,182 homes had installed active solar heating.

Suffolk County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Suffolk County homeowners purchased a total of 651,095 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 4.3° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Suffolk County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	48° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	43.7° F

Suffolk County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Suffolk County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 77 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 0 “full-service” oil companies that serve Suffolk County. Full service companies such as undefined 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 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 Air Conditioning Specialists and Bogue Oil.

Suffolk County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Suffolk County: 77 companies

Average Number Of Suffolk County Homes Served Per Company: 14 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Suffolk County Oil Company: 8,455 gallons per year

Suffolk County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

1,078 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.

3% of Suffolk County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Suffolk County Households	Suffolk County Heating Oil Households
35,709	1,078

77 Suffolk County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 651,095 gallons of heating oil delivered to Suffolk County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Suffolk County community relies on its 77 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 Kinder-m2 in Richmond, VA and 1st Enrgy in Richmond, VA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Suffolk County.