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

Rensselaer 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 Rensselaer

Oil has become less popular in Rensselaer. In the 4 years since 2021, the number of households using heating oil dipped from 1,293,770 to 1,103,323, a 15% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Rensselaer

Between 2021 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel dropped from 388,311 to 377,922, a 3% change. Comparing 2021 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel ramped up from 4,489,009 to 4,725,574, a 5% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Rensselaer

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are gaining popularity in Rensselaer. Since 2021, the number of homes heating with electricity shot up from 1,118,015 to 1,365,710, a 22% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Rensselaer

The most eco-friendly heating option is solar. 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 Rensselaer are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 86% gain from 2021, when 8,858 homes incorporated active solar heating.

Rensselaer County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Rensselaer County homeowners purchased a total of 7 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Rensselaer’s overall fuel oil consumption changes each year as winter conditions change. As the temperature outside gets more chilly, homes’ furnaces need to burn additional oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Rensselaer was 28.1°F, which was 5.4°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Rensselaer County Average Winter Temperature

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

Rensselaer County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Rensselaer residences heating with fuel oil, picking which of the 41 heating oil companies that serve Rensselaer can drastically impact the cost of home heating.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who value a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 276 “full-service” oil companies that serve Rensselaer. Full service companies such as Morse Fuels LLC or Family Danz Fuel Services LLC offer households annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic 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 homeowner 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 homeowners who are looking to save money. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. Some of the 2 Rensselaer cash heating oil companies serving Rensselaer include Kokosa Oil Inc and MainCare Express.

Rensselaer Fuel Oil Company Fast Facts: Oil Companies Serving Rensselaer: 41 companies .
Average Number of Rensselaer Homes Served per Heating Oil company : 26910

Rensselaer Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

Rensselaer County Households	Rensselaer County Heating Oil Households
15.6M	1.1M

436 Rensselaer Fuel Oil Companies Serving The Community

With 664,748,714 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Rensselaer homeowners during this past winter, the Rensselaer community depends on its 436 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 Rensselaer, 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 residences and companies throughout Rensselaer and the surrounding region.

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