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Search Suffolk County, NY Local Oil Prices by City

Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Suffolk Home Heating Fuel Comparison

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

Suffolk 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 Suffolk

Oil has become decreasing in demand in Suffolk. In the 1 years since 2024, the number of households using oil dropped from 1,143,783 to 1,103,323, a 4% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Suffolk

Between 2024 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 370,910 to 377,922, a 2% change. Comparing 2024 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel increased from 4,679,558 to 4,725,574, a 1% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Suffolk

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Suffolk. Since 2024, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,292,868 to 1,365,710, a 6% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Suffolk

Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all heating fuels. 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. Currently, 16,434 homes in Suffolk are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 8% gain from 2024, when 15,259 homes utilized active solar heating.

Suffolk County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Suffolk County homeowners purchased a total of 117 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Suffolk’s overall fuel oil consumption changes from year to year primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside drops, homes’ heating systems need to burn additional fuel oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Suffolk was 28.1°F, which was 5.4°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Suffolk County Average Winter Temperature

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

Suffolk County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Suffolk homes heating with number two heating oil, selecting which of the 247 heating oil companies that serve Suffolk is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who prefer a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 4887 “full-service” oil companies that serve Suffolk. Full service companies such as J W Piccozzi Inc Piccozzi's Fuel Oil Co or W C Esp Inc offer homeowners annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic number two heating oil delivery and boiler repair. With an automatic heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s fuel 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 customers who are looking to save money. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the fuel oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. Examples of 2 Suffolk cash heating oil companies serving Suffolk include East End Container Service Inc East End Fuel and LoCo Fuel Corp.

Suffolk Fuel Oil Company By The Numbers: Fuel oil Companies Serving Suffolk: 247 companies .
Average Number of Suffolk Homes Served per Heating Oil company : 4467

Suffolk Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

Suffolk County HouseholdsSuffolk County Heating Oil Households
15.6M1.1M

13497 Suffolk Number Two Heating Oil Companies Go The Distance

With 664,748,714 gallons of heating oil delivered to Suffolk families last winter, the Suffolk community relies on its 13497 oil companies to keep warm throughout the winter. Oil delivery has two parts to it: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of Suffolk, 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 Suffolk and the surrounding vicinity.