Alternatives to Oil and Propane for Heating a North Country Home
Quick answer: the best alternative to oil or propane heat in the Adirondacks is a Mitsubishi Hyper-Heating cold-climate heat pump. It runs on electricity you already have, delivers about three units of heat per unit of power, heats at full capacity at 5°F and keeps going to -13°F (-22°F on H2i Plus models), cools the house in summer, and qualifies for NYS Clean Heat rebates through NYSEG or National Grid. Most homeowners who switch cut the fuel portion of their heating bill sharply, and some tell us it was the first winter in years they did not dread the delivery truck.
The realistic options when you want off oil or propane
Most of the North Country has no natural gas line, so the usual choices are:
| Option | Fuel | Cools too? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi Hyper-Heat heat pump | Electricity (3:1 efficiency) | Yes | Rebate-eligible; no tank, no deliveries, no combustion |
| Wood or pellet stove | Wood / pellets | No | Cheap fuel, daily labor, uneven heat |
| Electric baseboard | Electricity (1:1) | No | Cheap to install, most expensive to run |
| Geothermal | Electricity (very high efficiency) | Yes | Excellent, but drilling or trenching makes it the costliest install |
| New high-efficiency propane furnace or boiler | Propane | No | Lower cost than the old unit, still tied to fuel prices |
Hyper-Heat is the one that removes the fuel bill, adds air conditioning and gets paid for in part by the state. That is why it is replacing oil and propane furnaces across the Northeast, and why it is the first thing we price for a homeowner in Ticonderoga, Keene or Plattsburgh who calls about a tired oil furnace.
Why Hyper-Heat is the best alternative
Simple installation
A ductless system has two main parts: an outdoor unit and the indoor units that deliver heat in winter and cool air in summer, joined by a small refrigerant line. No ductwork is required, so an install in an older farmhouse or camp is usually one to two days and does not tear up walls. If your home already has ducts from an oil furnace, a ducted air handler can use them.
Efficiency instead of combustion
Instead of burning fuel to make heat, a heat pump uses electricity to move heat, the same way a refrigerator does. In winter the outdoor unit pulls heat from the outside air and moves it inside. Keep the outdoor unit elevated on a stand and clear of snow and ice, and it keeps working through the coldest stretch. Ductless systems also skip the 20–30% of heat a leaky duct system can lose in an attic or crawl space before it reaches a room.
Cheaper to run than oil, propane and electric baseboard
The biggest savings come when a Hyper-Heat system is the primary heat for a zone currently on electric baseboard or propane, where the cost per delivered BTU is highest. If your existing system is an oil boiler or furnace, running the heat pump as the primary source and the boiler as a rare backup still saves a lot. Fuel prices move every year, so we do not print a dollar figure here. The honest way to see it is to put your own numbers into the savings calculator; it compares your current fuel to three Mitsubishi options and shows the five-year cost of doing nothing. For a deeper look at operating cost, read what Hyper-Heating costs to run.
Zone control: heat the rooms you use
Place indoor units in the rooms you live in and each becomes its own zone. Keep the living room at 70°F and the guest room at 58°F. A boiler cannot do that without a plumber and a lot of zone valves; a multi-zone Mitsubishi system does it from the remote or the Mitsubishi Comfort app. For homes that want every room covered, a whole-home conversion combines ductless and ducted indoor units on one or two outdoor units.
Rebates and financing in 2026
Cold-climate heat pumps are treated as clean heating by New York State. NYS Clean Heat incentives are paid through NYSEG (most of the North Country) and National Grid, and Vermont homeowners across the lake have Efficiency Vermont. Amounts depend on the program tier and whether you remove the fossil-fuel system; we confirm what you qualify for at the estimate and file the paperwork. We also offer 18 months of 0% financing through Synchrony. The federal heat pump tax credit ended December 31, 2025, so do not count on it; the state money is what matters now. Full details on our rebates and savings page.
What about the coldest nights?
Ticonderoga's design temperature is about -10°F; Lake Placid and Saranac Lake see -20°F to -30°F a few nights a winter. Standard H2i equipment keeps operating to -13°F and the newer H2i Plus models to -22°F. For High Peaks homes we size for the cold and talk honestly about whether a wood stove or the existing boiler stays as backup for the handful of extreme nights. Many customers keep it the first winter and never use it. See cold-climate heat pumps for how we design for -20°F.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to heat a home without oil or propane?
Per unit of heat delivered, a cold-climate heat pump is the lowest-cost option that also gives you air conditioning and qualifies for rebates. Wood is cheap fuel but costs labor and does not heat evenly; electric baseboard is the most expensive to run.
Can a heat pump fully replace my oil furnace in the Adirondacks?
Yes, when it is sized to your home's heat loss. Mitsubishi Hyper-Heat delivers full capacity at 5°F and runs to -13°F or -22°F depending on model. Many customers keep the old system as a backup the first winter, then stop using it.
Do I have to remove my oil tank?
Not to install a heat pump. Some rebate tiers pay more when the fossil-fuel system is decommissioned, and an unused tank can complicate a home sale, so we talk through the options at the estimate.
Are there rebates for switching from propane to a heat pump in New York?
Yes. NYS Clean Heat incentives through NYSEG and National Grid apply to qualifying cold-climate heat pumps regardless of what fuel you are leaving. We confirm your exact amount and file the paperwork.
Talk to us
Have questions about your home? Call Adirondack Heat Pumps at (518) 812-1958, stop by the showroom at 15 Montcalm Street in Ticonderoga, or request a free in-home estimate. We serve Essex County, the Lake George and Lake Champlain shores, the High Peaks and Addison County, Vermont.