Cheapest Columbia County Heating Oil Price History
Updated on March 3, 2026 at 01:00 PM
| Date | Price |
|---|---|
| 03/03/2026 | $4.033 |
| 03/02/2026 | $3.799 |
| 03/01/2026 | $3.777 |
| 02/28/2026 | $3.777 |
| 02/27/2026 | $3.777 |
| 02/26/2026 | $3.784 |
| 02/25/2026 | $3.783 |
| 02/24/2026 | $3.777 |
| 02/23/2026 | $3.766 |
| 02/22/2026 | $3.748 |
| 02/21/2026 | $3.747 |
| 02/20/2026 | $3.747 |
| 02/19/2026 | $3.741 |
| 02/18/2026 | $3.748 |
| 02/17/2026 | $3.758 |
| 02/16/2026 | $3.773 |
| 02/15/2026 | $3.787 |
| 02/14/2026 | $3.787 |
| 02/13/2026 | $3.786 |
| 02/12/2026 | $3.699 |
| 02/11/2026 | $3.699 |
| 02/10/2026 | $3.699 |
| 02/09/2026 | $3.699 |
| 02/08/2026 | $3.699 |
| 02/07/2026 | $3.699 |
| 02/06/2026 | $3.699 |
| 02/05/2026 | $3.699 |
| 02/04/2026 | $3.680 |
| 02/03/2026 | $3.699 |
| 02/02/2026 | $3.699 |
Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Columbia Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Residences have a host of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most popular choice in Columbia, used by 4,725,574 or 61% of residents. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Columbia homeowners is Electricity, used by 1,365,710 homes (18%). The remaining homes are heated with Heating Oil (14%), Propane (5%), Other (1%), and Wood (1%).
Columbia County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (in Number 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
Number two heating oil has become losing popularity in Columbia. In the 13 years since 2012, the number of families using oil dipped from 1,901,118 to 1,103,323, a 42% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Columbia
Between 2012 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 237,738 to 377,922, a 59% change. Comparing 2012 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel shot up from 4,044,389 to 4,725,574, a 17% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Columbia
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more prevalent in Columbia. Since 2012, the number of homes heating with electricity shot up from 775,390 to 1,365,710, a 76% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Columbia
Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all heating fuels. 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 658% gain from 2012, when 2,168 homes utilized 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 heating oil usage fluctuates from year to year correlating with how cold it gets each winter. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ boilers need to burn increasing amounts of heating oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. 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 homes heating with 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 want a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose 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 number two heating 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 exchange for lower prices, you monitor the heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order either when the level runs low or just before a major snowstorm. Some of the 2 Columbia cash heating oil companies serving Columbia include Collins & Son Inc and Lucky Petroleum Inc.
Columbia Number Two Heating Oil Company By The Numbers: Oil Companies Serving Columbia: 44 companies .
Average Number of Columbia Houses Served per Heating Oil company : 25076
Columbia Heating Oil Delivery Overview
1,103,323 residences in Columbia heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Columbia temperatures drop as low as 22.4° F each winter. 14% of Columbia families are reliant on heating oil delivery each winter.
7.03% 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 Oil Companies You Can Bank On
With 664,748,714.28 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Columbia houses during this past winter, the Columbia community relies on its 427 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. 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 Columbia, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Bridgeport, CT and N.h.term in New Haven, CT. Then, the truck delivers the fuel oil to residences and companies throughout Columbia and the surrounding region.
