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

Homes have a host of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in Greene, used by 4,725,574 or 61% of residents. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Greene residents 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%).

Greene 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 Greene

Heating oil has become less popular in Greene. In the 10 years since 2015, the number of residents using fuel oil fell from 1,649,860 to 1,103,323, a 33% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Greene

Between 2015 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel ramped up from 265,224 to 377,922, a 42% change. Comparing 2015 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 4,202,413 to 4,725,574, a 12% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Greene

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Greene. Since 2015, the number of homes heating with electricity ramped up from 808,370 to 1,365,710, a 69% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Greene

The most eco-friendly heating option is solar. 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, 16,434 homes in Greene are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 427% gain from 2015, when 3,120 homes had active solar heating.

Greene County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Greene County homeowners purchased a total of 5 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Greene’s overall fuel oil usage fluctuates yearly depending on winter temperatures. As the temperature outside gets more chilly, homes’ furnaces need to burn additional fuel oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Greene was 28.1°F, which was 5.4°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Greene County Average Winter Temperature

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

Greene County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Greene residences heating with fuel oil, choosing which of the 38 heating oil companies that serve Greene makes a big difference.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who prefer a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select one of the 202 “full-service” oil companies that serve Greene. Full service companies such as Morgans Fuels Inc or Watts Oil LLC offer clients annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and HVAC repair. With an automatic number two 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 client 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 clients who are on a budget. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower 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 Greene cash heating oil companies serving Greene include Crown Fuels Of Windham Inc and Raj Petroleum Inc.

Greene Oil Company Statistics: Heating oil Companies Serving Greene: 38 companies .
Average Number of Greene Houses Served per Number Two Heating Oil company : 29035

Greene Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

Greene County Households	Greene County Heating Oil Households
15.6M	1.1M

469 Greene Number Two Heating Oil Companies Homeowners Can Count On

With 664,748,714 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Greene homeowners during this past winter, the Greene community depends on its 469 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. Oil delivery is a two step process: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of Greene, 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 homes and businesses throughout Greene and the surrounding area.