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Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Orleans County Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Heating oil is the most popular choice in Orleans County, used by 108,499 or 41.06% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Orleans County homeowners is natural gas, used by 50,127 homes (18.97%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (50,123), wood (35,629), electricity (19,788), and other fuels (7,814).

Orleans County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

FuelOrleans County Households % of Households
Heating Oil108,49941.06%
Natural Gas50,12718.97%
Propane50,12318.97%
Wood35,62913.48%
Electricity19,7887.49%
Other Fuels5,6922.15%
Solar1,0420.39%
No Fuel6190.23%
Coal4610.17%

Heating oil (41.06)

Natural gas (18.97)

Propane (18.97)

Wood (13.48)

Electricity (7.49)

Other fuels (2.15)

Solar (0.39)

No fuel (0.23)

Coal (0.17)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Orleans County

Heating oil has become less popular in Orleans County. In the 6 years since 2016, the number of heating oil homes fell from 111,441 to 108,499, a 2.64% drop.

Orleans County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

YearHeating Oil Households
2011128,566
2012124,072
2013119,422
2014117,459
2015114,826
2016111,441
2017111,092
2018110,704
2019108,976
2020110,870
2021108,747
2022108,499

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Orleans County

Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 39,658 to 50,123.

Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 43,976 to 50,127.

Electricity use for home heating in Orleans County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Orleans County. Since 2016, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 12,572 to 19,788, a 57.40% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Orleans 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, 1,042 homes in Orleans County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 247.33% increase from 2016, when only 300 homes had installed active solar heating.