Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Kings Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Families have a variety of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most popular choice in Kings, used by 4,725,574 or 61% of households. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Kings residents 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%).
Kings 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 Kings
Heating oil has become less popular in Kings. In the 11 years since 2014, the number of residents using heating oil dipped from 1,752,656 to 1,103,323, a 37% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Kings
Between 2014 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel grew from 258,775 to 377,922, a 46% change. Comparing 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel ramped up from 4,186,666 to 4,725,574, a 13% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Kings
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Kings. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity increased from 770,577 to 1,365,710, a 77% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Kings
Out of all fuels, solar is the safest for the environment. 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 Kings are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 539% gain from 2014, when 2,573 homes utilized active solar heating.
Kings County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Kings County homeowners purchased a total of 36 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Kings’s overall oil use changes each year depending on winter temperatures. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ heating systems need to burn more and more oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Kings was 28.1°F, which was 5.4°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Kings County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 28.1° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 33.5° F |
Kings County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Kings residences heating with heating oil, selecting which of the 112 heating oil companies that serve Kings can drastically impact the cost of home heating.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who can afford a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 50 “full-service” oil companies that serve Kings. Full service companies such as L & Son Heat Ac Tech Corp or The Carsedge Solutions Inc offer households annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and HVAC 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 household 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 families 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 when the oil gauge dips below a quarter tank. Some of the 2 Kings cash heating oil companies serving Kings include Ronco Oil Inc and Nyc Oil & Energy Corp.
Kings Heating Oil Company By The Numbers: Heating oil Companies Serving Kings: 112 companies .
Average Number of Kings Households Served per Fuel Oil company : 9851
Kings Heating Oil Delivery Overview
1,103,323 houses in Kings heat their homes with heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Kings temperatures drop as low as 22.4° F each winter. 14.2% of Kings houses rely on heating oil delivery each winter.
7% of Kings County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Kings County Households | Kings County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 15.6M | 1.1M |
112 Kings Number Two Heating Oil Companies Serving The Community
With 664,748,714 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Kings residences during this past winter, the Kings community relies on its 112 oil companies to keep warm throughout the winter. 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 Kings, 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 Kings and the surrounding area.
