Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Kings Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Homes have a host of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in Kings, used by 4,725,574 or 61% of households. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Kings 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%).
Kings 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 Kings
Heating oil has become decreasing in demand in Kings. In the 11 years since 2014, the number of families using number two heating oil dropped 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 households using propane as the primary space heating fuel increased 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 jumped 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 increasing in demand in Kings. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity ramped up from 770,577 to 1,365,710, a 77% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Kings
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. 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 number two heating oil consumption varies from year to year as winter conditions change. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ heating systems need to burn more and more heating oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. 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 families heating with heating oil, choosing which of the 113 heating oil companies that serve Kings makes a big difference.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who value a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick 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 number two heating oil delivery and HVAC repair. With an automatic fuel 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 customers who are budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the fuel oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. A few of the 2 Kings cash heating oil companies serving Kings include Ronco Oil Inc and Nyc Oil & Energy Corp.
Kings Heating Oil Company Statistics: Oil Companies Serving Kings: 113 companies .
Average Number of Kings Households Served per Fuel Oil company : 9764
Kings Heating Oil Delivery Overview
1,103,323 families in Kings heat their homes with number two heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Kings temperatures drop as low as 22.4° F each winter. 14.2% of Kings households are reliant on number two 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 |
113 Kings Oil Companies You Can Bank On
With 664,748,714 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Kings houses during this past winter, the Kings community looks to its 113 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 Kings, 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 Kings and the surrounding region.
