Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Essex County, used by 1,462,335 or 52.38% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Essex County homeowners is heating oil, used by 663,749 homes (23.78%). The remaining homes are heated with electricity (490,395), propane (123,474), wood (34,021), and other fuels (50,956).

Essex County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Essex County Households	% of Households
Natural Gas	1.4M	52.38%
Heating Oil	663,749	23.78%
Electricity	490,395	17.57%
Propane	123,474	4.42%
Wood	34,021	1.22%
Other Fuels	24,655	0.88%
No Fuel	19,283	0.69%
Solar	5,465	0.20%
Coal	1,553	0.06%

Natural gas (52.38)

Heating oil (23.78)

Electricity (17.57)

Propane (4.42)

Wood (1.22)

Other fuels (0.88)

No fuel (0.69)

Solar (0.20)

Coal (0.06)

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

Heating oil has become less popular in Essex County. In the 2 years since 2020, the number of heating oil homes fell from 667,484 to 663,749, a 0.56% drop.

Essex County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	851,319
2012	827,983
2013	798,470
2014	770,791
2015	746,949
2016	723,433
2017	707,835
2018	690,486
2019	678,224
2020	667,484
2021	662,876
2022	663,749

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

Between 2020 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 97,561 to 123,474.

Between 2020 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,374,949 to 1,462,335.

Electricity use for home heating in Essex County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Essex County. Since 2020, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 434,756 to 490,395, a 12.80% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Essex 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, 5,465 homes in Essex County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 52.02% increase from 2020, when only 3,595 homes had installed active solar heating.

Essex County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Essex County homeowners purchased a total of 59 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Essex 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 Essex County, the average outside temperature was 5.3° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Essex County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	42.7° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	37.4° F

Essex County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Essex County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 346 heating oil companies that serve Essex 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 1239 “full-service” oil companies that serve Essex County. Full service companies such as Keohan Fuels & Transportation Inc or Absolute Oil 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 Essex 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 Essex County include Edgemont Oil Llc and NETR Inc..

Essex County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Essex County: 346 companies

Average Number Of Essex County Homes Served Per Company: 194 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Essex County Oil Company: 170,485 gallons per year

Essex County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

67,260 households in Essex County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Essex County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

21% of Essex County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Essex County Households	Essex County Heating Oil Households
319,311	67,260

6,444 Essex County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 59 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Essex County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Essex County community relies on its 6,444 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 Essex County, two of the closest terminals are Irving in Revere, MA and Irving in Revere, MA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Essex County.