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

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 decreasing in demand in Ulster. In the 12 years since 2013, the number of families using oil dipped from 1,802,442 to 1,103,323, a 39% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Ulster

Between 2013 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel shot up from 259,367 to 377,922, a 46% change. Comparing 2013 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 4,074,510 to 4,725,574, a 16% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Ulster

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Ulster. Since 2013, the number of homes heating with electricity jumped from 764,400 to 1,365,710, a 79% 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 551% gain from 2013, when 2,525 homes utilized 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 changes annually depending on winter temperatures. As the temperature outside gets more chilly, homes’ HVAC systems need to burn more and more heating oil to keep the house warm inside. 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 heating 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 want a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select 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 households annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and HVAC repair. With an automatic oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s heating 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 known by the names “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for clients 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 either when the level runs low or just before a major snowstorm. Examples of 2 Ulster cash heating oil companies serving Ulster include Aero Star Petroleum Inc and Upstate Energy Inc.

Ulster Fuel Oil Company Fast Facts: Oil Companies Serving Ulster: 78 companies .
Average Number of Ulster Homes Served per Fuel Oil company : 14145

Ulster Heating Oil Delivery Overview

1,103,323 houses in Ulster heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Ulster temperatures drop as low as 22.4° F each winter. 14.2% of Ulster families 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 Fuel Oil Companies Homeowners Can Count On

With 664,748,714 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Ulster families during this past winter, the Ulster community depends on its 1076 oil companies when temperatures dip. 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 Ulster, 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 Ulster and the surrounding region.

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