Households have a variety of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in St Lawrence, used by 4,725,574 or 61% of families. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for St Lawrence 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%).

St Lawrence 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 St Lawrence

Number two heating oil has become less popular in St Lawrence. In the 2 years since 2023, the number of families using fuel oil declined from 1,212,850 to 1,103,323, a 9% drop.

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

Between 2023 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel decreased from 402,335 to 377,922, a 6% change. Comparing 2023 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 4,581,041 to 4,725,574, a 3% change.

Electricity use for home heating in St Lawrence

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are gaining popularity in St Lawrence. Since 2023, the number of homes heating with electricity increased from 1,263,700 to 1,365,710, a 8% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in St Lawrence

Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all heating fuels. 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. As it stands today, 16,434 homes in St Lawrence are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 47% gain from 2023, when 11,208 homes incorporated 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 fuel oil use changes each year correlating with how cold it gets each winter. As the temperature outside gets more chilly, homes’ boilers need to burn increasing amounts of oil to keep the house warm inside. 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 Season	Average Temperature
2024 - 2025	28.1° F
2023 - 2024	33.5° F

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

For St Lawrence residences heating with heating oil, choosing which of the 8 heating oil companies that serve St Lawrence is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who can afford a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose 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 homeowners annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and furnace repair. With an automatic heating 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: Also known by the names “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for homeowners who are budget-conscious. 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 either when the level runs low or just before a major snowstorm. Some of the 2 St Lawrence cash heating oil companies serving St Lawrence include Mx Petroleum Corp and Mj Leroux Oil Corp.

St Lawrence Number Two Heating Oil Company By The Numbers: Number two heating oil Companies Serving St Lawrence: 8 companies .
Average Number of St Lawrence Houses Served per Heating Oil company : 137915

St Lawrence Heating Oil Delivery Overview

1,103,323 homes in St Lawrence heat their homes with fuel 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 depend on fuel oil delivery each winter.

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

St Lawrence County Households	St Lawrence County Heating Oil Households
15.6M	1.1M

21 St Lawrence Oil Companies Serving The Community

With 664,748,714 gallons of heating oil delivered to St Lawrence households during this past winter, the St Lawrence community looks to its 21 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. 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 homes and businesses throughout St Lawrence and the surrounding region.

Heating Oil Near You In These Adjacent Counties