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

Ulster 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 Ulster

Heating oil has become less popular in Ulster. In the 9 years since 2016, the number of residents using oil fell from 1,540,787 to 1,103,323, a 28% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Ulster

Between 2016 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 273,838 to 377,922, a 38% change. Comparing 2016 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel ramped up from 4,227,422 to 4,725,574, a 12% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Ulster

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Ulster. Since 2016, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 860,856 to 1,365,710, a 59% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Ulster

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. Today, 16,434 homes in Ulster are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 151% gain from 2016, when 6,535 homes used active solar heating.

Ulster County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Ulster County homeowners purchased a total of 17 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Ulster’s overall fuel oil usage fluctuates from year to year primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside drops, homes’ furnaces need to burn additional number two heating oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Ulster was 28.1°F, which was 5.4°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Ulster County Average Winter Temperature

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

Ulster County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Ulster households heating with oil, selecting which of the 78 heating oil companies that serve Ulster can drastically impact the cost of home heating.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who can afford a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 468 “full-service” oil companies that serve Ulster. Full service companies such as Sunshine Oil & Fuels Inc or Erichsen's Fuel Service Inc Dependable Energy Services offer homeowners annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and furnace repair. With an automatic number two heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s fuel 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 homeowners 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 the oil gauge dips below a quarter tank. Some of the 2 Ulster cash heating oil companies serving Ulster include Aero Star Petroleum Inc and Upstate Energy Inc.

Ulster Oil Company Statistics: Fuel oil Companies Serving Ulster: 78 companies .
Average Number of Ulster Houses Served per Fuel Oil company : 14145

Ulster Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

Ulster County Households	Ulster County Heating Oil Households
15.6M	1.1M

1076 Ulster Heating Oil Companies Go The Distance

With 664,748,714 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Ulster residences the last heating season, the Ulster community looks to its 1076 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 Ulster, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Bridgeport, CT and N.h.term in New Haven, CT. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to residences and companies throughout Ulster and the surrounding area.

Heating Oil Near You In These Adjacent Counties