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Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Monroe 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 Monroe, used by 4,725,574 or 61% of homeowners. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Monroe 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%).

Monroe County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (in Number of Households)

YearNatural GasPropaneElectricityOilWoodSolarOther
20254,725,574377,9221,365,7101,103,32392,05416,434100,232
20244,679,558370,9101,292,8681,143,78396,14715,25997,524
20234,581,041402,3351,263,7001,212,850100,01511,208104,369
20224,542,443400,9691,190,8801,279,26099,08011,314103,810
20214,489,009388,3111,118,0151,293,770108,2028,85898,952
20204,504,504353,9441,014,7301,343,665111,1068,77889,024
20194,519,999319,576911,4451,393,560114,0118,69779,096
20184,397,917308,020890,5541,459,976120,1596,02282,621
20174,339,349294,973867,9251,496,843122,0885,98877,386
20164,227,422273,838860,8561,540,787126,8906,53579,479
20154,202,413265,224808,3701,649,860141,0163,12078,999
20144,186,666258,775770,5771,752,656145,0122,57376,963
20134,074,510259,367764,4001,802,442148,4222,52581,841
20124,044,389237,738775,3901,901,118155,6032,16861,429
20114,014,222222,634707,0161,979,067143,2872,72863,609
20103,961,085227,607676,2622,068,004143,2421,82361,664

Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Monroe

Heating oil has become less frequently used in Monroe. In the 12 years since 2013, the number of families using number two heating oil dipped from 1,802,442 to 1,103,323, a 39% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Monroe

Between 2013 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel grew from 259,367 to 377,922, a 46% change. Comparing 2013 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel grew from 4,074,510 to 4,725,574, a 16% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Monroe

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Monroe. Since 2013, the number of homes heating with electricity ramped up from 764,400 to 1,365,710, a 79% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Monroe

Out of all fuels, solar is the safest for the environment. 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. Now, 16,434 homes in Monroe are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 551% gain from 2013, when 2,525 homes had active solar heating.

Monroe County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Monroe County homeowners purchased a total of 3 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Monroe’s overall fuel oil usage changes annually primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ HVAC systems need to burn increasing amounts of heating oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Monroe was 28.1°F, which was 5.4°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Monroe County Average Winter Temperature

Heating SeasonAverage Temperature
2024 - 202528.1° F
2023 - 202433.5° F

Monroe County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Monroe residences heating with oil, selecting which of the 8 heating oil companies that serve Monroe makes a big difference.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who are willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 2 “full-service” oil companies that serve Monroe. Full service companies such as Dave Reisdorf Inc Reisdorf Oil & Propane or Dave Reisdorf Inc Reisdorf Oil & Propane offer clients annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and furnace repair. With an automatic heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s fuel 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 households 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 when the oil gauge dips below a quarter tank. A few of the 2 Monroe cash heating oil companies serving Monroe include Frank T Rose Roses Enterprises and Hometowne Energy Co Inc.

Monroe Heating Oil Company Statistics: Oil Companies Serving Monroe: 8 companies .
Average Number of Monroe Homes Served per Fuel Oil company : 137915

Monroe Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

Monroe County HouseholdsMonroe County Heating Oil Households
15.6M1.1M

82 Monroe Oil Companies You Can Trust

With 664,748,714 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Monroe families the last heating season, the Monroe community looks to its 82 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 Monroe, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Bridgeport, CT and N.h.term in New Haven, CT. Then, the truck delivers the number two heating oil to residences and companies throughout Monroe and the surrounding vicinity.