Homes have a choice of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most popular choice in Sullivan, used by 4,725,574 or 61% of families. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Sullivan residents is Electricity, used by 1,365,710 homes (18%). The remaining homes are heated with Heating Oil (14%), Propane (5%), Other (1%), and Wood (1%).

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

Year	Natural Gas	Propane	Electricity	Oil	Wood	Solar	Other
2026	4,768,707	390,135	1,429,822	1,059,449	89,064	18,053	103,422
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 Sullivan

Heating oil has become decreasing in demand in Sullivan. In the 6 years since 2019, the number of households using oil dropped from 1,393,560 to 1,103,323, a 21% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Sullivan

Between 2019 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 319,576 to 377,922, a 18% change. Comparing 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel grew from 4,519,999 to 4,725,574, a 5% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Sullivan

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are gaining popularity in Sullivan. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity grew from 911,445 to 1,365,710, a 50% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Sullivan

Out of all fuels, solar is the safest for the environment. 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. Currently, 16,434 homes in Sullivan are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 89% gain from 2019, when 8,697 homes utilized active solar heating.

Sullivan County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Sullivan County homeowners purchased a total of 7 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Sullivan’s overall fuel oil use fluctuates each year correlating with how cold it gets each winter. As the temperature outside dips, homes’ HVAC systems need to burn more and more fuel oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Sullivan was 28.1°F, which was 5.4°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Sullivan County Average Winter Temperature

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

Sullivan County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Sullivan residences heating with heating oil, picking which of the 29 heating oil companies that serve Sullivan is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who prefer a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 190 “full-service” oil companies that serve Sullivan. Full service companies such as Orange Energy Inc or JusSar Fuel Inc offer families annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and heating system repair. With an automatic heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s fuel 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 known by the names “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for households who are on a budget. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when the oil gauge dips below a quarter tank. Examples of 2 Sullivan cash heating oil companies serving Sullivan include Big O Inc Inc and Penguin Energy Corp.

Sullivan Fuel Oil Company By The Numbers: Oil Companies Serving Sullivan: 29 companies .

Average Number of Sullivan Households Served per Fuel Oil company : 38046

Sullivan Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

Sullivan County Households	Sullivan County Heating Oil Households
15.6M	1.1M

525 Sullivan Number Two Heating Oil Companies Serving The Community

With 664,748,714 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Sullivan families the last heating season, the Sullivan community looks to its 525 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 Sullivan, 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 Sullivan and the surrounding vicinity.

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