Homes have a variety of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in Columbia, used by 4,725,574 or 61% of households. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Columbia homeowners is Electricity, used by 1,365,710 homes (18%). The other homes are heated with Heating Oil (14%), Propane (5%), Other (1%), and Wood (1%).

Columbia County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (No. of Households)

Year	Natural Gas	Propane	Electricity	Oil	Wood	Solar	Other
2025	4,725,574	377,922	1,365,710	1,103,323	92,054	16,434	100,232
2024	4,679,558	370,910	1,292,868	1,143,783	96,147	15,259	97,524
2023	4,581,041	402,335	1,263,700	1,212,850	100,015	11,208	104,369
2022	4,542,443	400,969	1,190,880	1,279,260	99,080	11,314	103,810
2021	4,489,009	388,311	1,118,015	1,293,770	108,202	8,858	98,952
2020	4,504,504	353,944	1,014,730	1,343,665	111,106	8,778	89,024
2019	4,519,999	319,576	911,445	1,393,560	114,011	8,697	79,096
2018	4,397,917	308,020	890,554	1,459,976	120,159	6,022	82,621
2017	4,339,349	294,973	867,925	1,496,843	122,088	5,988	77,386
2016	4,227,422	273,838	860,856	1,540,787	126,890	6,535	79,479
2015	4,202,413	265,224	808,370	1,649,860	141,016	3,120	78,999
2014	4,186,666	258,775	770,577	1,752,656	145,012	2,573	76,963
2013	4,074,510	259,367	764,400	1,802,442	148,422	2,525	81,841
2012	4,044,389	237,738	775,390	1,901,118	155,603	2,168	61,429
2011	4,014,222	222,634	707,016	1,979,067	143,287	2,728	63,609
2010	3,961,085	227,607	676,262	2,068,004	143,242	1,823	61,664

Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Columbia

Oil has become less frequently used in Columbia. In the 6 years since 2019, the number of homeowners using number two heating oil fell from 1,393,560 to 1,103,323, a 21% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Columbia

Between 2019 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 319,576 to 377,922, a 18% change. Comparing 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel increased from 4,519,999 to 4,725,574, a 5% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Columbia

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more prevalent in Columbia. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity shot up from 911,445 to 1,365,710, a 50% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Columbia

Out of all fuels, solar is the safest for the environment. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid flows between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank (similar to a hot water heater) in the basement. Now, 16,434 homes in Columbia are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 89% gain from 2019, when 8,697 homes had active solar heating.

Columbia County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Columbia County homeowners purchased a total of 6 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Columbia’s overall fuel oil use fluctuates from year to year primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside gets more chilly, homes’ HVAC systems need to burn additional oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Columbia was 28.1°F, which was 5.4°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Columbia County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
2024 - 2025	28.1° F
2023 - 2024	33.5° F

Columbia County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Columbia residences heating with heating oil, picking which of the 44 heating oil companies that serve Columbia can drastically impact the cost of home heating.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who can afford a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 271 “full-service” oil companies that serve Columbia. Full service companies such as Morse Fuels LLC or C A Albright & Sons LLC offer customers annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic oil delivery and heating system repair. With an automatic fuel 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: Often called “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for homeowners who are budget-conscious. 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 Columbia cash heating oil companies serving Columbia include Collins & Son Inc and Lucky Petroleum Inc.

Columbia Number Two Heating Oil Company Fast Facts: Number two heating oil Companies Serving Columbia: 44 companies .
Average Number of Columbia Homes Served per Heating Oil company : 25076

Columbia Heating Oil Delivery Overview

1,103,323 houses in Columbia heat their homes with heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Columbia temperatures drop as low as 22.4° F each winter. 14.2% of Columbia homes depend on fuel oil delivery each winter.

7% of Columbia County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Columbia County Households	Columbia County Heating Oil Households
15.6M	1.1M

427 Columbia Number Two Heating Oil Companies Go The Distance

With 664,748,714 gallons of oil delivered to Columbia residences the last heating season, the Columbia community looks to its 427 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 Columbia, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Bridgeport, CT and N.h.term in New Haven, CT. Then, the truck delivers the number two heating oil to residences and companies throughout Columbia and the surrounding vicinity.

Heating Oil Near You In These Adjacent Counties

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