Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Litchfield Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Families have a variety of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the preferred choice in Litchfield, used by 537,918 or 37% of homeowners. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Litchfield residents is Heating Oil, used by 491,612 homes (34%). The rest of the homes are heated with Electricity (21%), Propane (6%), Wood (1%), and Other (1%).

Litchfield County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (in Number of Households)

Year	Natural Gas	Propane	Electricity	Oil	Wood	Solar	Other
2025	537,918	88,504	302,730	491,612	19,550	6,488	10,689
2024	526,146	82,630	293,463	509,593	21,103	5,852	10,146
2023	530,315	92,469	276,839	496,091	19,885	4,238	15,392
2022	519,969	86,596	262,494	520,424	18,487	2,985	13,466
2021	506,772	80,721	258,306	532,053	22,992	2,966	14,306
2020	503,622	73,848	247,960	533,736	22,648	1,909	11,330
2019	500,471	66,974	237,614	535,420	22,304	852	8,355
2018	497,422	60,526	232,420	549,036	22,954	1,579	8,782
2017	478,136	55,608	219,208	562,247	24,510	1,029	10,257
2016	476,852	55,631	230,532	554,283	23,580	900	9,232
2015	471,195	51,915	214,414	561,996	29,530	937	8,159
2014	464,748	49,540	212,031	576,948	34,478	554	11,670
2013	449,787	46,397	209,463	585,757	29,361	401	10,236
2012	442,443	43,849	212,708	615,734	27,351	378	9,891
2011	437,840	43,778	207,267	625,164	25,707	611	7,588
2010	427,850	39,533	203,568	650,621	26,373	299	7,110

Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Litchfield

Number two heating oil has become less frequently used in Litchfield. In the 4 years since 2021, the number of families using heating oil fell from 532,053 to 491,612, a 8% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Litchfield

Between 2021 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel shot up from 80,721 to 88,504, a 10% change. Comparing 2021 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel increased from 506,772 to 537,918, a 6% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Litchfield

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more prevalent in Litchfield. Since 2021, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 258,306 to 302,730, a 17% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Litchfield

Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all 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 (similar to a hot water heater) in the basement. Currently, 6,488 homes in Litchfield are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 119% gain from 2021, when 2,966 homes had active solar heating.

Litchfield County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Litchfield County homeowners purchased a total of 31 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Litchfield’s overall fuel oil consumption varies annually correlating with how cold it gets each winter. As the temperature outside drops, homes’ heating systems need to burn increasing amounts of fuel oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Litchfield was 30.6°F, which was 4.6°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Litchfield County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
2024 - 2025	30.6° F
2023 - 2024	35.2° F

Litchfield County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Litchfield homeowners heating with oil, choosing which of the 173 heating oil companies that serve Litchfield is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who are willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 1133 “full-service” oil companies that serve Litchfield. Full service companies such as Nelson Oil or Patterson Oil Co offer clients annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and HVAC repair. With an automatic oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s heating oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The homeowner does not need to monitor the level of the oil tank or place individual orders.

Discount Oil Companies: Also known by the names “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for households who are looking to save money. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the number two heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. A few of the 2 Litchfield cash heating oil companies serving Litchfield include Boss Oil Co LLC and Family Propane LLC.

Litchfield Oil Company Fast Facts: Fuel oil Companies Serving Litchfield: 173 companies .
Average Number of Litchfield Households Served per Number Two Heating Oil company : 2842

Litchfield Heating Oil Delivery Overview

491,612 families in Litchfield heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Litchfield temperatures drop as low as 25.1° F each winter. 33.7% of Litchfield homes are reliant on oil delivery each winter.

16.8% of Litchfield County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Litchfield County Households	Litchfield County Heating Oil Households
2.9M	491,612

1907 Litchfield Heating Oil Companies You Can Bank On

With 397,280,973 gallons of oil delivered to Litchfield residences last winter, the Litchfield community depends on its 1907 oil companies to keep warm throughout the winter. Oil delivery can be summed up in two steps: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of Litchfield, two of the closest terminals are Buckeye in Wethersfield, CT and Sprague W in Springfield, MA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to residences and companies throughout Litchfield and the surrounding area.