Households have a variety of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most popular choice in Herkimer, used by 4,725,574 or 61% of households. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Herkimer households 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%).

Herkimer 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 Herkimer

Number two heating oil has become less popular in Herkimer. In the 5 years since 2020, the number of families using heating oil declined from 1,343,665 to 1,103,323, a 18% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Herkimer

Between 2020 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 353,944 to 377,922, a 7% change. Comparing 2020 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel increased from 4,504,504 to 4,725,574, a 5% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Herkimer

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more prevalent in Herkimer. Since 2020, the number of homes heating with electricity jumped from 1,014,730 to 1,365,710, a 35% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Herkimer

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. Today, 16,434 homes in Herkimer are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 87% gain from 2020, when 8,778 homes used active solar heating.

Herkimer County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Herkimer County homeowners purchased a total of 2 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Herkimer’s overall number two heating oil use changes from year to year primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ furnaces need to burn more and more heating oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Herkimer was 28.1°F, which was 5.4°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Herkimer County Average Winter Temperature

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

Herkimer County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Herkimer homeowners heating with number two heating oil, picking which of the 18 heating oil companies that serve Herkimer is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who value a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 43 “full-service” oil companies that serve Herkimer. Full service companies such as Thermo Petroleum Products Inc or Harbor Point Energy Products LLC offer homeowners annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic oil delivery and boiler repair. With an automatic number two heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s fuel 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: Also known by the names “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for homeowners who are looking to save money. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower 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. Examples of 2 Herkimer cash heating oil companies serving Herkimer include Conservative Petroleum LLC and Jennison Fuels LLC.

Herkimer Number Two Heating Oil Company By The Numbers: Oil Companies Serving Herkimer: 18 companies .
Average Number of Herkimer Households Served per Number Two Heating Oil company : 61296

Herkimer Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

Herkimer County Households	Herkimer County Heating Oil Households
15.6M	1.1M

79 Herkimer Heating Oil Companies Go The Distance

With 664,748,714 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Herkimer homes last winter, the Herkimer community relies on its 79 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. 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 Herkimer, 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 Herkimer and the surrounding region.

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