Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Richmond Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Families have a choice of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in Richmond, used by 4,725,574 or 61% of homeowners. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Richmond 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%).
Richmond County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (in Number 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 Richmond
Heating oil has become losing popularity in Richmond. In the 10 years since 2015, the number of families using heating oil declined from 1,649,860 to 1,103,323, a 33% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Richmond
Between 2015 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel increased from 265,224 to 377,922, a 42% change. Comparing 2015 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel increased from 4,202,413 to 4,725,574, a 12% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Richmond
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Richmond. Since 2015, the number of homes heating with electricity shot up from 808,370 to 1,365,710, a 69% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Richmond
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 Richmond are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 427% gain from 2015, when 3,120 homes used active solar heating.
Richmond County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Richmond County homeowners purchased a total of 4 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Richmond’s overall heating oil consumption varies annually as winter conditions change. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ furnaces need to burn more and more heating oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Richmond was 28.1°F, which was 5.4°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Richmond County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 28.1° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 33.5° F |
Richmond County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Richmond homeowners heating with heating oil, picking which of the 69 heating oil companies that serve Richmond is an important decision.
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 28 “full-service” oil companies that serve Richmond. Full service companies such as Winston Oil Co Inc or The Energy Conservation Group LLC Skaggs Walsh offer households annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and furnace repair. With an automatic fuel 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 referred to as “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for families who are looking to save money. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the fuel oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. A few of the 2 Richmond cash heating oil companies serving Richmond include Ronco Oil Inc and Nyc Oil & Energy Corp.
Richmond Fuel Oil Company Statistics: Oil Companies Serving Richmond: 69 companies .
Average Number of Richmond Households Served per Number Two Heating Oil company : 15990
Richmond Heating Oil Delivery Overview
1,103,323 families in Richmond heat their homes with heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Richmond temperatures drop as low as 22.4° F each winter. 14.2% of Richmond households depend on number two heating oil delivery each winter.
7% of Richmond County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Richmond County Households | Richmond County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 15.6M | 1.1M |
69 Richmond Oil Companies You Can Bank On
With 664,748,714 gallons of oil delivered to Richmond residences last winter, the Richmond community relies on its 69 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. 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 Richmond, 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 Richmond and the surrounding area.
