Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Schenectady County Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Schenectady County, used by 3,119,786 or 64.85% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Schenectady County homeowners is electricity, used by 1,213,218 homes (25.22%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (272,855), heating oil (100,023), wood (81,253), and other fuels (43,475).
Schenectady County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
| Fuel | Schenectady County Households | % of Households |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Gas | 3.1M | 64.9% |
| Electricity | 1.2M | 25.2% |
| Propane | 272,855 | 5.7% |
| Heating Oil | 100,023 | 2.1% |
| Wood | 81,253 | 1.7% |
| Other Fuels | 43,475 | 0.9% |
| No Fuel | 27,402 | 0.6% |
| Coal | 3,017 | 0.1% |
| Solar | 1,131 | 0.0% |
Natural gas (64.9%)
Electricity (25.2%)
Propane (5.7%)
Heating oil (2.1%)
Wood (1.7%)
Other fuels (0.9%)
No fuel (0.6%)
Coal (0.1%)
Solar (0.0%)
#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Schenectady County
Heating oil has become more popular in Schenectady County. In the 3 years since 2019, the number of heating oil homes rose from 99,323 to 100,023, a 0.70% lift.
Schenectady County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
| Year | Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 141,038 |
| 2012 | 132,252 |
| 2013 | 125,428 |
| 2014 | 119,022 |
| 2015 | 113,013 |
| 2016 | 107,419 |
| 2017 | 104,197 |
| 2018 | 101,487 |
| 2019 | 99,323 |
| 2020 | 95,712 |
| 2021 | 92,977 |
| 2022 | 100,023 |
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Schenectady County
Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 248,176 to 272,855.
Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 3,063,569 to 3,119,786.
Electricity use for home heating in Schenectady County
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Schenectady County. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,119,116 to 1,213,218, a 8.41% increase.
Solar use for home heating in Schenectady County
Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all space 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 in the basement.
Currently, 1,131 homes in Schenectady County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 19.43% increase from 2019, when only 947 homes had installed active solar heating.
