If you've ever gotten a big heating bill and wondered whether you're using the right fuel, you're not alone. A lot of Nassau County homeowners ask the same question — usually after a cold January or after a neighbor mentions they switched to gas. The problem is, most of the information out there is written for someone in Ohio or Texas. The numbers are different here. The infrastructure is different here. And for a lot of homes in Nassau County, some of the options people assume are available simply aren't. Here's a straightforward look at how the three main heating fuels actually compare — specifically for where you live.
Heating Oil vs. Propane: What the Numbers Actually Mean
When people compare heating oil and propane, they usually look at the price per gallon and stop there. That's where the confusion starts. The two fuels don't contain the same amount of energy, so comparing them gallon-for-gallon is like comparing a 12-ounce coffee to an 8-ounce one and calling them equal because they're both in cups.
Heating oil contains roughly 138,500 BTUs per gallon. Propane contains about 91,500 BTUs per gallon. That means you'd need approximately 1.52 gallons of propane to produce the same heat as one gallon of heating oil. So even if propane looks cheaper at the pump, your actual heating cost depends on how many gallons you burn through a season — and with propane, that number is higher.
Is Propane More Efficient Than Heating Oil?
You'll often hear that propane furnaces are more efficient than oil furnaces, and technically that's true — high-efficiency propane furnaces can reach AFUE ratings of up to 98%, while modern oil furnaces typically land between 80% and 90%. AFUE measures how much of the fuel's energy actually becomes heat in your home versus what escapes through the flue. On paper, propane wins that comparison.
But here's what that number doesn't tell you: heating oil generates significantly more heat per gallon than propane does. Oil also burns approximately 300 degrees hotter than natural gas, which matters on the kind of cold nights Nassau County gets during a Nor'easter. A furnace with a slightly lower efficiency rating that's burning a higher-BTU fuel can still heat your home just as effectively — and in some cases, more cost-efficiently — than a high-AFUE propane system burning through more gallons to do the same job.
The honest answer is that neither fuel has a clear, universal efficiency advantage once you factor in BTU content alongside AFUE ratings. What matters is the total cost to heat your home through a full season, not any single metric in isolation. That total cost depends on local fuel prices, your home's insulation, the age of your equipment, and how cold the winter runs — all of which vary from year to year.
Propane is stored in a pressurized tank, typically installed outside your home. Heating oil tanks, by contrast, are usually in the basement and can last 30 years or more with proper care. If you're weighing the two options, the storage situation is part of the practical picture, not just the fuel cost.
What Does It Actually Cost to Switch from Oil to Propane?
This is the question that tends to get glossed over in conversations about switching fuels. The focus usually lands on the per-gallon price difference, but the upfront cost of conversion is where a lot of homeowners get surprised.
Switching from heating oil to propane almost always means replacing your furnace or boiler. You can't simply run a different fuel through the same equipment — the burner, controls, and combustion system are designed for a specific fuel type. That furnace or boiler is the most expensive part of the switch. Beyond the equipment itself, you'll need a propane tank installed (usually on a lease arrangement with the propane supplier, which creates its own long-term commitment), and the fuel line and connections will need to be run to the new system.
The Consumer Energy Council of America has called fuel conversion an "expensive gamble" — not because switching is always a bad idea, but because the payback period depends on a price differential that can shift from year to year. If propane prices spike the winter after you've converted, the math that made the switch look attractive can evaporate quickly.
For Nassau County homeowners specifically, there's another layer to consider: oil heating equipment tends to last a long time. A well-maintained oil furnace or boiler can run reliably for 15 to 30 years. If your system is mid-life and functioning well, the calculus of pulling it out and starting over with a new fuel and new equipment is worth thinking through carefully before committing.
None of this means switching is always the wrong call. But it does mean the decision deserves more than a per-gallon price comparison.
Oil Heat vs. Gas: Why Nassau County Infrastructure Makes This Different
Natural gas gets held up as the gold standard in a lot of heating fuel comparisons — and in many parts of the country, it genuinely is the most cost-effective option where it's available. The key phrase there is "where it's available." In Nassau County, that availability is far from universal.
About 59% of Long Island homes run on heating oil. That's not a coincidence or a holdover from some outdated era — it's a direct result of when and how this county was built. The housing stock here is largely post-World War II suburban construction, developed during a period when natural gas infrastructure hadn't been extended to many of these neighborhoods. Decades later, many streets in areas like Oyster Bay, parts of Hempstead, and North Hempstead still don't have gas mains running beneath them. For homeowners on those streets, "should I switch to gas?" isn't really a question — it's not an option.
Oil Heating vs. Gas Heating: How Do They Actually Compare?
For the homeowners in Nassau County who do have natural gas available, the comparison is worth understanding clearly. Natural gas is typically priced by the cubic foot or therm, which makes direct comparisons to heating oil a little awkward. To put them on equal footing: it takes roughly 135 cubic feet of natural gas to produce the same heat as one gallon of heating oil. Heating oil also burns about 300 degrees hotter than natural gas, which translates to faster heat delivery and fewer furnace cycles during the coldest stretches of winter.
On a per-BTU basis, natural gas has historically been cheaper than heating oil in many markets — though that gap narrows and sometimes reverses depending on global oil markets, supply disruptions, and seasonal demand. Neither fuel has a permanent price advantage; both have had their expensive winters.
What natural gas does offer is the convenience of utility delivery — no tank to monitor, no delivery scheduling, no running out on a cold night. That's a real benefit. But getting there from an oil-heated home means replacing your heating equipment (just as with propane), paying a utility connection fee, and potentially waiting for infrastructure work if your street needs a new gas main. For many Nassau County homeowners, that process is measured in years and thousands of dollars, not weeks and a simple swap.
If your street has gas and you're starting from scratch — new construction or a full renovation — the economics of natural gas are worth running seriously. If you have a functioning oil system and natural gas isn't already at your curb, the case for switching is a lot harder to make.
Gas v Oil Heating: What About the Environment?
This is where a lot of Nassau County homeowners are surprised to learn something they didn't know. If you've been assuming that your heating oil is the same fuel it was 20 years ago — or that switching to gas is the only way to reduce your environmental impact — the current reality is different.
New York State now mandates Bioheat blends for all heating oil sold in the state. As of July 1, 2025, that means every gallon of heating oil delivered in Nassau County must contain at least 10% biodiesel — a renewable fuel derived from sources like soybean oil and recycled cooking grease. The state's mandate increases to 20% biodiesel by 2030. This transition is already underway, and it requires no equipment changes on your part. The fuel being delivered to your tank today is already cleaner than what was delivered a decade ago.
A 20% Bioheat blend reduces sulfur oxide emissions by up to 80%, nitrogen oxide emissions by approximately 20%, and carbon dioxide emissions by 15% compared to conventional heating oil. Those are meaningful reductions — achieved without replacing your furnace, without converting your system, and without any action required from you beyond continuing to use your existing heating oil supplier.
For homeowners who want to take it a step further, New York State offers a Clean Fuel Credit of 20 cents per gallon for Bioheat blends of B6 through B20. For a home that uses around 800 gallons in a heating season, that credit translates to $160 to $240 back annually. We offer eco-friendly Bioheat options for customers who want to reduce their footprint while keeping the system they already have.
The environmental picture for heating oil in Nassau County looks considerably different than it did even five years ago — and it's continuing to improve as the Bioheat mandates increase.
Which Heating Fuel Makes the Most Sense for Your Nassau County Home?
There's no single right answer that applies to every home on Long Island. What's true is that for the majority of Nassau County homeowners — especially those with a functioning oil system and no gas main at the curb — the case for staying with heating oil is stronger than a lot of the generic advice out there suggests. The BTU math, the switching costs, the improving environmental profile of Bioheat, and the practical realities of Nassau County's infrastructure all factor into that.
If you're weighing your options and want a straightforward conversation about what makes sense for your home specifically, we're here for it. OK Petroleum Distribution has been delivering heating oil to Nassau County and Suffolk County homes since 1976, and we offer both automatic delivery and on-demand will-call service — no contracts required for on-demand customers. You can order online, specify exactly how many gallons you need, and pay without picking up the phone.
Reach out to us at (631) 321-0549 if you have questions or want to get started.
