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Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: St Lawrence Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Households have a variety of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in St Lawrence, used by 4,725,574 or 61% of homeowners. The next most popular primary heating fuel for St Lawrence families 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%).

St Lawrence County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (No. of Households)

YearNatural GasPropaneElectricityOilWoodSolarOther
20254,725,574377,9221,365,7101,103,32392,05416,434100,232
20244,679,558370,9101,292,8681,143,78396,14715,25997,524
20234,581,041402,3351,263,7001,212,850100,01511,208104,369
20224,542,443400,9691,190,8801,279,26099,08011,314103,810
20214,489,009388,3111,118,0151,293,770108,2028,85898,952
20204,504,504353,9441,014,7301,343,665111,1068,77889,024
20194,519,999319,576911,4451,393,560114,0118,69779,096
20184,397,917308,020890,5541,459,976120,1596,02282,621
20174,339,349294,973867,9251,496,843122,0885,98877,386
20164,227,422273,838860,8561,540,787126,8906,53579,479
20154,202,413265,224808,3701,649,860141,0163,12078,999
20144,186,666258,775770,5771,752,656145,0122,57376,963
20134,074,510259,367764,4001,802,442148,4222,52581,841
20124,044,389237,738775,3901,901,118155,6032,16861,429
20114,014,222222,634707,0161,979,067143,2872,72863,609
20103,961,085227,607676,2622,068,004143,2421,82361,664

Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in St Lawrence

Fuel oil has become less frequently used in St Lawrence. In the 8 years since 2017, the number of homeowners using number two heating oil fell from 1,496,843 to 1,103,323, a 26% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in St Lawrence

Between 2017 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel increased from 294,973 to 377,922, a 28% change. Comparing 2017 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel ramped up from 4,339,349 to 4,725,574, a 9% change.

Electricity use for home heating in St Lawrence

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in St Lawrence. Since 2017, the number of homes heating with electricity ramped up from 867,925 to 1,365,710, a 57% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in St Lawrence

Out of all fuels, solar is the safest for the environment. 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. Now, 16,434 homes in St Lawrence are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 174% gain from 2017, when 5,988 homes used active solar heating.

St Lawrence County Heating Oil Trends

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

Short Term Trends

St Lawrence’s overall number two heating oil use varies from year to year depending on winter temperatures. As the temperature outside drops, homes’ heating systems need to burn increasing amounts of heating oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in St Lawrence was 28.1°F, which was 5.4°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

St Lawrence County Average Winter Temperature

Heating SeasonAverage Temperature
2024 - 202528.1° F
2023 - 202433.5° F

St Lawrence County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For St Lawrence homes heating with fuel oil, selecting which of the 8 heating oil companies that serve St Lawrence 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 8 “full-service” oil companies that serve St Lawrence. Full service companies such as Collins Oil Inc or Harris Oil Inc offer households annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic oil delivery and furnace repair. With an automatic heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s heating 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 on a budget. 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 the oil gauge dips below a quarter tank. Some of the 2 St Lawrence cash heating oil companies serving St Lawrence include Mx Petroleum Corp and Mj Leroux Oil Corp.

St Lawrence Fuel Oil Company Statistics: Oil Companies Serving St Lawrence: 8 companies .
Average Number of St Lawrence Households Served per Fuel Oil company : 137915

St Lawrence Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

St Lawrence County HouseholdsSt Lawrence County Heating Oil Households
15.6M1.1M

21 St Lawrence Heating Oil Companies Go The Distance

With 664,748,714 gallons of fuel oil delivered to St Lawrence families during this past winter, the St Lawrence community relies on its 21 oil companies when temperatures dip. 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 St Lawrence, 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 St Lawrence and the surrounding vicinity.