Residences have a host of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most popular choice in Rockland, used by 4,725,574 or 61% of residents. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Rockland 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%).

Rockland 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 Rockland

Number two heating oil has become less frequently used in Rockland. In the 5 years since 2020, the number of residents using fuel oil dropped from 1,343,665 to 1,103,323, a 18% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Rockland

Between 2020 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose 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 shot up from 4,504,504 to 4,725,574, a 5% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Rockland

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

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Rockland

Out of all fuels, solar is the safest for the environment. 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. Today, 16,434 homes in Rockland are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 87% gain from 2020, when 8,778 homes used active solar heating.

Rockland County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Rockland County homeowners purchased a total of 2 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Rockland’s overall number two heating oil use varies from year to year based on the severity of the winter. As the temperature outside drops, homes’ heating systems need to burn additional number two heating oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Rockland was 28.1°F, which was 5.4°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Rockland County Average Winter Temperature

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

Rockland County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Rockland homeowners heating with heating oil, picking which of the 109 heating oil companies that serve Rockland makes a big difference.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who prefer a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 765 “full-service” oil companies that serve Rockland. Full service companies such as Plitnick Home Fuel & Service Co LLC or Superior Fuel Oil Inc offer clients annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and HVAC repair. With an automatic fuel oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s number two heating oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The household 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 homeowners who are looking to save money. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. Examples of 2 Rockland cash heating oil companies serving Rockland include Emergency Services Fuel Corp and Capital Fuel Transportation Corp.

Rockland Oil Company By The Numbers: Number two heating oil Companies Serving Rockland: 109 companies .
Average Number of Rockland Households Served per Number Two Heating Oil company : 10122

Rockland Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

Rockland County Households	Rockland County Heating Oil Households
15.6M	1.1M

1231 Rockland Number Two Heating Oil Companies Homeowners Can Count On

With 664,748,714 gallons of heating oil delivered to Rockland homes during this past winter, the Rockland community depends on its 1231 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 Rockland, 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 Rockland and the surrounding vicinity.

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