Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Madison Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Families have a choice of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in Madison, used by 4,725,574 or 61% of homeowners. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Madison 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%).
Madison 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 Madison
Number two heating oil has become less popular in Madison. In the 6 years since 2019, the number of families using oil fell from 1,393,560 to 1,103,323, a 21% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Madison
Between 2019 and today, the number of households 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 ramped up from 4,519,999 to 4,725,574, a 5% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Madison
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Madison. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity shot up from 911,445 to 1,365,710, a 50% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Madison
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. Today, 16,434 homes in Madison are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 89% gain from 2019, when 8,697 homes used active solar heating.
Madison County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Madison County homeowners purchased a total of 2 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Madison’s overall oil usage varies each year primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ boilers need to burn more and more oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Madison was 28.1°F, which was 5.4°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Madison County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 28.1° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 33.5° F |
Madison County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Madison residences heating with oil, choosing which of the 9 heating oil companies that serve Madison makes a big difference.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who value a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select one of the 21 “full-service” oil companies that serve Madison. Full service companies such as Thermo Petroleum Products Inc or Broedel Fuel Group LLC offer homeowners annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and furnace repair. With an automatic number two heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s 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 customers who are on a budget. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the 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 Madison cash heating oil companies serving Madison include Jennison Fuels LLC and Nassimos Enterprises LLC.
Madison Fuel Oil Company Statistics: Number two heating oil Companies Serving Madison: 9 companies .
Average Number of Madison Houses Served per Fuel Oil company : 122591
Madison Heating Oil Delivery Overview
1,103,323 households in Madison heat their homes with heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Madison temperatures drop as low as 22.4° F each winter. 14.2% of Madison families depend on heating oil delivery each winter.
7% of Madison County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Madison County Households | Madison County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 15.6M | 1.1M |
115 Madison Number Two Heating Oil Companies Go The Distance
With 664,748,714 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Madison homeowners last winter, the Madison community relies on its 115 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 Madison, 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 Madison and the surrounding vicinity.