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

Washington County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (No. 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 Washington

Number two heating oil has become less frequently used in Washington. In the 2 years since 2023, the number of households using heating oil declined from 1,212,850 to 1,103,323, a 9% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Washington

Between 2023 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel declined 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 grew from 4,581,041 to 4,725,574, a 3% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Washington

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Washington. Since 2023, the number of homes heating with electricity shot up from 1,263,700 to 1,365,710, a 8% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Washington

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. As it stands today, 16,434 homes in Washington are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 47% gain from 2023, when 11,208 homes incorporated active solar heating.

Washington County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Washington County homeowners purchased a total of 5 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Washington’s overall fuel oil use fluctuates annually primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ heating systems need to burn additional fuel oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Washington was 28.1°F, which was 5.4°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Washington County Average Winter Temperature

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

Washington County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Washington homeowners heating with fuel oil, picking which of the 26 heating oil companies that serve Washington is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who are willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select one of the 77 “full-service” oil companies that serve Washington. Full service companies such as Gf Heating Oil LLC or Wever Petroleum Inc offer households annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and HVAC repair. With an automatic heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s number two 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 households who are on a budget. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the 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 Washington cash heating oil companies serving Washington include Sweet's Fuel Service Inc and Richards Fuels Inc Richard Fuels.

Washington Fuel Oil Company Statistics: Number two heating oil Companies Serving Washington: 26 companies .
Average Number of Washington Households Served per Fuel Oil company : 42436

Washington Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

Washington County Households	Washington County Heating Oil Households
15.6M	1.1M

192 Washington Oil Companies You Can Bank On

With 664,748,714 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Washington homes last winter, the Washington community looks to its 192 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 Washington, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Bridgeport, CT and N.h.term in New Haven, CT. Then, the truck delivers the oil to homes and businesses throughout Washington and the surrounding area.

Heating Oil Near You In These Adjacent Counties

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