Something went wrong

Cities In Massachusetts with Local Heating Oil Deals

Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Massachusetts Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Massachusetts, used by 1,461,172 or 52.57% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Massachusetts homeowners is heating oil, used by 658,414 homes (23.69%). The remaining homes are heated with electricity (489,468), propane (120,379), wood (32,449), and other fuels (50,495).

Massachusetts Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

FuelMassachusetts Households % of Households
Natural Gas1.4M52.57%
Heating Oil658,41423.69%
Electricity489,46817.61%
Propane120,3794.33%
Wood32,4491.17%
Other Fuels24,4920.88%
No Fuel19,2290.69%
Solar5,2920.19%
Coal1,4820.05%

Natural gas (52.57)

Heating oil (23.69)

Electricity (17.61)

Propane (4.33)

Wood (1.17)

Other fuels (0.88)

No fuel (0.69)

Solar (0.19)

Coal (0.05)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Massachusetts

Heating oil has become less popular in Massachusetts. In the 5 years since 2017, the number of heating oil homes fell from 702,417 to 658,414, a 6.26% drop.

Massachusetts Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

YearHeating Oil Households
2011845,698
2012822,502
2013792,829
2014765,294
2015741,479
2016718,077
2017702,417
2018685,213
2019672,991
2020662,438
2021657,749
2022658,414

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Massachusetts

Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 81,627 to 120,379.

Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,320,143 to 1,461,172.

Electricity use for home heating in Massachusetts

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Massachusetts. Since 2017, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 394,442 to 489,468, a 24.09% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Massachusetts

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, 5,292 homes in Massachusetts are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 169.18% increase from 2017, when only 1,966 homes had installed active solar heating.