Homeowners have a host of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the preferred choice in Fairfield, used by 537,918 or 37% of residents. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Fairfield homeowners is Heating Oil, used by 491,612 homes (34%). The rest of the homes are heated with Electricity (21%), Propane (6%), Wood (1%), and Other (1%).

Fairfield County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (No. of Households)

Year	Natural Gas	Propane	Electricity	Oil	Wood	Solar	Other
2026	548,133	93,823	310,796	480,258	19,252	7,150	11,004
2025	537,918	88,504	302,730	491,612	19,550	6,488	10,689
2024	526,146	82,630	293,463	509,593	21,103	5,852	10,146
2023	530,315	92,469	276,839	496,091	19,885	4,238	15,392
2022	519,969	86,596	262,494	520,424	18,487	2,985	13,466
2021	506,772	80,721	258,306	532,053	22,992	2,966	14,306
2020	503,622	73,848	247,960	533,736	22,648	1,909	11,330
2019	500,471	66,974	237,614	535,420	22,304	852	8,355
2018	497,422	60,526	232,420	549,036	22,954	1,579	8,782
2017	478,136	55,608	219,208	562,247	24,510	1,029	10,257
2016	476,852	55,631	230,532	554,283	23,580	900	9,232
2015	471,195	51,915	214,414	561,996	29,530	937	8,159
2014	464,748	49,540	212,031	576,948	34,478	554	11,670
2013	449,787	46,397	209,463	585,757	29,361	401	10,236
2012	442,443	43,849	212,708	615,734	27,351	378	9,891
2011	437,840	43,778	207,267	625,164	25,707	611	7,588
2010	427,850	39,533	203,568	650,621	26,373	299	7,110

Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Fairfield

Number two heating oil has become less popular in Fairfield. In the 6 years since 2019, the number of homeowners using number two heating oil dropped from 535,420 to 491,612, a 8% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Fairfield

Between 2019 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 66,974 to 88,504, a 32% change. Comparing 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel grew from 500,471 to 537,918, a 7% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Fairfield

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more prevalent in Fairfield. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity jumped from 237,614 to 302,730, a 27% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Fairfield

The most eco-friendly heating option is solar. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid is circulated between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank (similar to a hot water heater) in the basement. Now, 6,488 homes in Fairfield are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 662% gain from 2019, when 852 homes incorporated active solar heating.

Fairfield County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Fairfield County homeowners purchased a total of 89 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Fairfield’s overall number two heating oil consumption changes from year to year based on the severity of the winter. As the temperature outside drops, homes’ heating systems need to burn more and more heating oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Fairfield was 30.6°F, which was 4.6°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Fairfield County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
2024 - 2025	30.6° F
2023 - 2024	35.2° F

Fairfield County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Fairfield homeowners heating with oil, picking which of the 164 heating oil companies that serve Fairfield 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 1186 “full-service” oil companies that serve Fairfield. Full service companies such as Rural Energy LLC or Pramer Fuel Inc offer clients annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and heating system repair. With an automatic number two heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s heating oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The client does not need to monitor the level of the oil tank or place individual orders.

Discount Oil Companies: also referred to as “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for customers who are budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. Some of the 2 Fairfield cash heating oil companies serving Fairfield include Affordable Heating & Fuel LLC Inc and L H Gault & Son.

Fairfield Number Two Heating Oil Company By The Numbers: Oil Companies Serving Fairfield: 164 companies .

Average Number of Fairfield Houses Served per Heating Oil company : 2998

Fairfield Heating Oil Delivery Overview

491,612 households in Fairfield heat their homes with heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Fairfield temperatures drop as low as 25.1° F each winter. 33.7% of Fairfield residences depend on number two heating oil delivery each winter.

16.8% of Fairfield County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Fairfield County Households	Fairfield County Heating Oil Households
2.9M	491,612

2184 Fairfield Oil Companies You Can Bank On

With 397,280,973 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Fairfield homeowners last winter, the Fairfield community relies on its 2184 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. 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 Fairfield, two of the closest terminals are Buckeye in Wethersfield, CT and Sprague W in Springfield, MA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to residences and companies throughout Fairfield and the surrounding area.

Heating Oil Near You In These Adjacent Counties

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