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

Homeowners have a variety of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the preferred choice in Dutchess, used by 4,725,574 or 61% of families. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Dutchess families is Electricity, used by 1,365,710 homes (18%). The rest of the homes are heated with Heating Oil (14%), Propane (5%), Other (1%), and Wood (1%).

Dutchess 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 Dutchess

Heating oil has become less popular in Dutchess. In the 6 years since 2019, the number of homeowners using heating oil fell from 1,393,560 to 1,103,323, a 21% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Dutchess

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel shot up 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 grew from 4,519,999 to 4,725,574, a 5% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Dutchess

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are increasing in demand in Dutchess. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity ramped up from 911,445 to 1,365,710, a 50% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Dutchess

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. As it stands today, 16,434 homes in Dutchess are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 89% gain from 2019, when 8,697 homes had active solar heating.

Dutchess County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Dutchess County homeowners purchased a total of 26 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Dutchess’s overall heating oil usage changes yearly correlating with how cold it gets each winter. As the temperature outside dips, 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 Dutchess was 28.1°F, which was 5.4°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Dutchess County Average Winter Temperature

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

Dutchess County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Dutchess homeowners heating with number two heating oil, choosing which of the 90 heating oil companies that serve Dutchess can drastically impact the cost of home heating.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who want a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select one of the 496 “full-service” oil companies that serve Dutchess. Full service companies such as George M Taylor & Son Inc or Taylor Oil offer families annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and furnace repair. With an automatic heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s number two heating oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The family does not need to monitor the level of the oil tank or place individual orders.

Discount Oil Companies: also referred to as “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 fuel oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order either when the level runs low or just before a major snowstorm. A few of the 2 Dutchess cash heating oil companies serving Dutchess include Outlaw Oil LLC and Aero Star Petroleum Inc.

Dutchess Number Two Heating Oil Company Fast Facts: Oil Companies Serving Dutchess: 90 companies .
Average Number of Dutchess Houses Served per Number Two Heating Oil company : 12259

Dutchess Heating Oil Delivery Overview

1,103,323 families in Dutchess heat their homes with heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Dutchess temperatures drop as low as 22.4° F each winter. 14.2% of Dutchess residences rely on number two heating oil delivery each winter.

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

Dutchess County Households	Dutchess County Heating Oil Households
15.6M	1.1M

1029 Dutchess Oil Companies Go The Distance

With 664,748,714 gallons of oil delivered to Dutchess families the last heating season, the Dutchess community looks to its 1029 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 Dutchess, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Bridgeport, CT and N.h.term in New Haven, CT. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to residences and companies throughout Dutchess and the surrounding region.