Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: New London Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Homes have a choice of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most popular choice in New London, used by 537,918 or 37% of households. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for New London families is Heating Oil, used by 491,612 homes (34%). The remaining homes are heated with Electricity (21%), Propane (6%), Wood (1%), and Other (1%).
New London County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (No. 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 New London
Fuel oil has become less popular in New London. In the 11 years since 2014, the number of families using heating oil dipped from 576,948 to 491,612, a 15% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in New London
Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 49,540 to 88,504, a 79% change. Comparing 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 464,748 to 537,918, a 16% change.
Electricity use for home heating in New London
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in New London. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity ramped up from 212,031 to 302,730, a 43% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in New London
Out of all fuels, solar is the safest for the environment. 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. As it stands today, 6,488 homes in New London are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 1071% gain from 2014, when 554 homes utilized active solar heating.
New London County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, New London County homeowners purchased a total of 42 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
New London’s overall number two heating oil usage fluctuates from year to year based on the severity of the winter. As the temperature outside dips, homes’ boilers need to burn additional heating oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in New London was 30.6°F, which was 4.6°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
New London County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 30.6° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 35.2° F |
New London County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For New London households heating with oil, selecting which of the 126 heating oil companies that serve New London makes a big difference.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who value a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 788 “full-service” oil companies that serve New London. Full service companies such as Aaa Oil Company or CW Knight Oil & Heating LLC offer families annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and heating system repair. With an automatic number two heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The customer does not need to monitor the level of the oil tank or place individual orders.
Discount Oil Companies: Often called “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 heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when the oil gauge dips below a quarter tank. Examples of 2 New London cash heating oil companies serving New London include Asi Oil LLC and Bystrek's Oil Company LLC.
New London Number Two Heating Oil Company Fast Facts: Heating oil Companies Serving New London: 126 companies .
Average Number of New London Houses Served per Fuel Oil company : 3902
New London Heating Oil Delivery Overview
491,612 houses in New London heat their homes with heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when New London temperatures drop as low as 25.1° F each winter. 33.7% of New London households are reliant on number two heating oil delivery each winter.
16.8% of New London County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| New London County Households | New London County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 2.9M | 491,612 |
1470 New London Fuel Oil Companies Homeowners Can Count On
With 397,280,973 gallons of heating oil delivered to New London homes last winter, the New London community relies on its 1470 oil companies to keep warm throughout the winter. Oil delivery has two parts to it: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of New London, two of the closest terminals are Buckeye in Wethersfield, CT and Sprague W in Springfield, MA. Then, the truck delivers the fuel oil to homes and businesses throughout New London and the surrounding region.