Families have a choice of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in Orange, used by 4,725,574 or 61% of families. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Orange homeowners 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%).

Orange 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 Orange

Heating oil has become losing popularity in Orange. In the 3 years since 2022, the number of families using fuel oil decreased from 1,279,260 to 1,103,323, a 14% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Orange

Between 2022 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel decreased from 400,969 to 377,922, a 6% change. Comparing 2022 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel grew from 4,542,443 to 4,725,574, a 4% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Orange

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are gaining popularity in Orange. Since 2022, the number of homes heating with electricity grew from 1,190,880 to 1,365,710, a 15% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Orange

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. Today, 16,434 homes in Orange are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 45% gain from 2022, when 11,314 homes used active solar heating.

Orange County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Orange County homeowners purchased a total of 18 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Orange’s overall fuel oil usage changes from year to year as winter conditions change. As the temperature outside drops, homes’ boilers need to burn additional number two heating oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Orange was 28.1°F, which was 5.4°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Orange County Average Winter Temperature

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

Orange County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Orange residences heating with fuel oil, selecting which of the 87 heating oil companies that serve Orange plays a big role in determining how much money is spent on heating each winter.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who are willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 604 “full-service” oil companies that serve Orange. Full service companies such as Evergreen Fuels Inc or H Reynolds & Son Inc offer clients annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and boiler 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 homeowner 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 homeowners who are looking to save money. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the number two heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. A few of the 2 Orange cash heating oil companies serving Orange include Big O Inc and Bruce & Angela Enterprises Inc.

Orange Fuel Oil Company By The Numbers: Heating oil Companies Serving Orange: 87 companies .
Average Number of Orange Homes Served per Number Two Heating Oil company : 12682

Orange Heating Oil Delivery Overview

1,103,323 households in Orange heat their homes with oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Orange temperatures drop as low as 22.4° F each winter. 14.2% of Orange families are reliant on oil delivery each winter.

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

Orange County Households	Orange County Heating Oil Households
15.6M	1.1M

1162 Orange Oil Companies You Can Bank On

With 664,748,714 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Orange homes last winter, the Orange community relies on its 1162 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 Orange, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Bridgeport, CT and N.h.term in New Haven, CT. Then, the truck delivers the oil to residences and companies throughout Orange and the surrounding vicinity.

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