Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Suffolk County, used by 4,593,346 or 59.99% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Suffolk County homeowners is heating oil, used by 1,379,410 homes (18.02%). The remaining homes are heated with electricity (1,040,155), propane (371,184), no fuel (127,077), and other fuels (245,918).
Suffolk County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Suffolk County Households | % of Households |
---|---|---|
Natural Gas | 4.5M | 59.99% |
Heating Oil | 1.3M | 18.02% |
Electricity | 1.0M | 13.59% |
Propane | 371,184 | 4.85% |
No Fuel | 127,077 | 1.66% |
Wood | 117,324 | 1.53% |
Other Fuels | 102,644 | 1.34% |
Coal | 17,488 | 0.23% |
Solar | 8,462 | 0.11% |
Natural gas (59.99)
Heating oil (18.02)
Electricity (13.59)
Propane (4.85)
No fuel (1.66)
Wood (1.53)
Other fuels (1.34)
Coal (0.23)
Solar (0.11)
Heating oil has become less popular in Suffolk County. In the 10 years since 2012, the number of heating oil homes fell from 2,082,821 to 1,379,410, a 33.77% drop.
Suffolk County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
Year | Heating Oil Households |
---|---|
2011 | 2.1M |
2012 | 2.0M |
2013 | 1.9M |
2014 | 1.9M |
2015 | 1.8M |
2016 | 1.7M |
2017 | 1.6M |
2018 | 1.5M |
2019 | 1.5M |
2020 | 1.4M |
2021 | 1.4M |
2022 | 1.3M |
Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 228,189 to 371,184.
Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 3,971,363 to 4,593,346.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Suffolk County. Since 2012, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 682,406 to 1,040,155, a 52.42% increase.
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, 8,462 homes in Suffolk County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 369.85% increase from 2012, when only 1,801 homes had installed active solar heating.