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Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Norfolk County Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Norfolk County, used by 1,462,335 or 52.38% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Norfolk 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).

Norfolk County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Norfolk 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 Norfolk County

Heating oil has become less popular in Norfolk County. In the 10 years since 2012, the number of heating oil homes fell from 827,983 to 663,749, a 19.84% drop.

Norfolk 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 Norfolk County

Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 65,204 to 123,474.

Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,225,355 to 1,462,335.

Electricity use for home heating in Norfolk County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Norfolk County. Since 2012, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 345,759 to 490,395, a 41.83% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Norfolk 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 Norfolk County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 653.79% increase from 2012, when only 725 homes had installed active solar heating.

Norfolk County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Norfolk County homeowners purchased a total of 60 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Norfolk County Average Winter Temperature

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

Norfolk County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Norfolk County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 441 heating oil companies that serve Norfolk 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 2310 “full-service” oil companies that serve Norfolk County. Full service companies such as Ruggiero Bros Inc or Comfort Temp 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 Norfolk 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 Norfolk County include SPAZIANI ELECTRIC and Peak Heating/Air Conditioning, Inc.

Norfolk County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Norfolk County: 441 companies

Average Number Of Norfolk County Homes Served Per Company: 155 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Norfolk County Oil Company: 136,274 gallons per year

Norfolk County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

68,525 households in Norfolk County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Norfolk County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

23% of Norfolk County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Norfolk County Households	Norfolk County Heating Oil Households
289,940	68,525

9,424 Norfolk County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 60 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Norfolk County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Norfolk County community relies on its 9,424 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 Norfolk County, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Boston, MA and Citgo in Braintree, MA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Norfolk County.