Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Heating oil is the most popular choice in Windham County, used by 539,715 or 38.13% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Windham County homeowners is natural gas, used by 516,459 homes (36.49%). The remaining homes are heated with electricity (244,511), propane (75,150), wood (23,585), and other fuels (30,431).

Windham County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Windham County Households	% of Households
Heating Oil	539,715	38.13%
Natural Gas	516,459	36.49%
Electricity	244,511	17.27%
Propane	75,150	5.31%
Wood	23,585	1.67%
Other Fuels	18,400	1.30%
No Fuel	9,314	0.66%
Solar	1,852	0.13%
Coal	865	0.06%

Heating oil (38.13)

Natural gas (36.49)

Electricity (17.27)

Propane (5.31)

Wood (1.67)

Other fuels (1.30)

No fuel (0.66)

Solar (0.13)

Coal (0.06)

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

Heating oil has become less popular in Windham County. In the 6 years since 2016, the number of heating oil homes fell from 581,382 to 539,715, a 7.17% drop.

Windham County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	654,783
2012	644,340
2013	627,716
2014	613,504
2015	595,244
2016	581,382
2017	574,588
2018	565,439
2019	556,309
2020	551,817
2021	544,406
2022	539,715

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

Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 50,508 to 75,150.

Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 461,985 to 516,459.

Electricity use for home heating in Windham County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Windham County. Since 2016, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 214,951 to 244,511, a 13.75% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Windham 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, 1,852 homes in Windham County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 181.46% increase from 2016, when only 658 homes had installed active solar heating.

Windham County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Windham County homeowners purchased a total of 20 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Windham County’s overall heating oil use varies from year to year, primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ heating systems need to burn more and more oil to keep homes warm. Last winter in Windham County, the average outside temperature was 7.2° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Windham County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	44.5° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	37.3° F

Windham County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Windham County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 114 heating oil companies that serve Windham County is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 386 “full-service” oil companies that serve Windham County. Full service companies such as Ed's Garage Inc or CW Knight Oil & Heating LLC offer automatic fuel delivery and furnace repair under a single roof.

Discount Oil Companies: Also known by the names “COD Fuel Companies” or “Cash Heating Oil Companies”, these companies are for the budget-conscious Windham County homeowner. In return for better prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank and place an order when you run low on oil. Examples of cash heating oil companies that serve Windham County include mountain air and Asi Oil LLC.

Windham County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Windham County: 114 companies

Average Number Of Windham County Homes Served Per Company: 236 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Windham County Oil Company: 173,795 gallons per year

Windham County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

26,916 households in Windham County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Windham County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

57% of Windham County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Windham County Households	Windham County Heating Oil Households
46,483	26,916

1,475 Windham County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 20 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Windham County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Windham County community relies on its 1,475 oil companies to keep warm.

Oil delivery is a two step process: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal. In the case of Windham County, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Providence, RI and Shell in Providence, RI. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Windham County.