Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Queens Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Households have a host of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the preferred choice in Queens, used by 4,725,574 or 61% of households. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Queens homeowners is Electricity, used by 1,365,710 homes (18%). The remaining homes are heated with Heating Oil (14%), Propane (5%), Other (1%), and Wood (1%).

Queens 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 Queens

Fuel oil has become losing popularity in Queens. In the 5 years since 2020, the number of households using heating oil fell from 1,343,665 to 1,103,323, a 18% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Queens

Between 2020 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel grew from 353,944 to 377,922, a 7% change. Comparing 2020 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 4,504,504 to 4,725,574, a 5% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Queens

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Queens. Since 2020, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,014,730 to 1,365,710, a 35% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Queens

The most eco-friendly heating option is solar. 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. Currently, 16,434 homes in Queens are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 87% gain from 2020, when 8,778 homes had active solar heating.

Queens County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Queens County homeowners purchased a total of 46 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Queens’s overall fuel oil use changes yearly depending on winter temperatures. As the temperature outside dips, homes’ heating systems need to burn increasing amounts of oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Queens was 28.1°F, which was 5.4°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Queens County Average Winter Temperature

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

Queens County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Queens homes heating with fuel oil, picking which of the 235 heating oil companies that serve Queens can drastically impact the cost of home heating.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who want a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 1889 “full-service” oil companies that serve Queens. Full service companies such as Plitnick Home Fuel & Service Co LLC or Nrg Heat & Power LLC offer homeowners annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic number two heating oil delivery and HVAC repair. With an automatic oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s 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: Often called “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. Examples of 2 Queens cash heating oil companies serving Queens include Ronco Oil Inc and TDR Heating Corp.

Queens Number Two Heating Oil Company Statistics: Fuel oil Companies Serving Queens: 235 companies .
Average Number of Queens Homes Served per Fuel Oil company : 4695

Queens Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

Queens County Households	Queens County Heating Oil Households
15.6M	1.1M

3926 Queens Oil Companies Homeowners Can Count On

With 664,748,714 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Queens houses last winter, the Queens community depends on its 3926 oil companies when temperatures dip. 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 Queens, 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 Queens and the surrounding area.