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

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

Plymouth County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Plymouth 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 Plymouth County

Heating oil has become less popular in Plymouth County. In the 6 years since 2016, the number of heating oil homes fell from 723,433 to 663,749, a 8.25% drop.

Plymouth 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 Plymouth County

Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 78,533 to 123,474.

Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,295,552 to 1,462,335.

Electricity use for home heating in Plymouth County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Plymouth County. Since 2016, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 384,621 to 490,395, a 27.50% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Plymouth 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 Plymouth County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 306.02% increase from 2016, when only 1,346 homes had installed active solar heating.

Plymouth County Heating Oil Trends

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

Short Term Trends

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

Plymouth County Average Winter Temperature

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

Plymouth County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Plymouth County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 356 heating oil companies that serve Plymouth 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 1323 “full-service” oil companies that serve Plymouth County. Full service companies such as Wilkinson Fuels & Propane or DeBross Hathaway Marvel Inc 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 Plymouth 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 Plymouth County include SPAZIANI ELECTRIC and SILVIA HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING.

Plymouth County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Plymouth County: 356 companies

Average Number Of Plymouth County Homes Served Per Company: 190 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Plymouth County Oil Company: 167,176 gallons per year

Plymouth County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

67,861 households in Plymouth County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Plymouth County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

33% of Plymouth County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Plymouth County Households	Plymouth County Heating Oil Households
201,795	67,861

5,035 Plymouth County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 60 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Plymouth County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Plymouth County community relies on its 5,035 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 Plymouth County, two of the closest terminals are Citgo in Braintree, MA and Citgo in Braintree, MA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Plymouth County.