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

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Heating oil is the most popular choice in Franklin County, used by 344,285 or 59.84% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Franklin County homeowners is propane, used by 74,720 homes (12.99%). The remaining homes are heated with electricity (53,649), wood (50,553), natural gas (46,832), and other fuels (16,018).

Franklin County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Franklin County Households	% of Households
Heating Oil	344,285	59.84%
Propane	74,720	12.99%
Electricity	53,649	9.33%
Wood	50,553	8.79%
Natural Gas	46,832	8.14%
Other Fuels	10,776	1.87%
No Fuel	2,221	0.39%
Solar	1,762	0.31%
Coal	1,259	0.22%

Heating oil (59.84)

Propane (12.99)

Electricity (9.33)

Wood (8.79)

Natural gas (8.14)

Other fuels (1.87)

No fuel (0.39)

Solar (0.31)

Coal (0.22)

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

Heating oil has become less popular in Franklin County. In the 9 years since 2013, the number of heating oil homes fell from 378,400 to 344,285, a 9.02% drop.

Franklin County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	399,528
2012	389,712
2013	378,400
2014	368,680
2015	359,172
2016	350,786
2017	345,775
2018	344,793
2019	344,403
2020	348,823
2021	345,156
2022	344,285

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

Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 40,668 to 74,720.

Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 27,717 to 46,832.

Electricity use for home heating in Franklin County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Franklin County. Since 2013, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 26,246 to 53,649, a 104.41% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Franklin 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, 1,762 homes in Franklin County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 293.30% increase from 2013, when only 448 homes had installed active solar heating.

Franklin County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Franklin County homeowners purchased a total of 3 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Franklin 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 Franklin County, the average outside temperature was 15.0° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Franklin County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	39.5° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	24.5° F

Franklin County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Franklin County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 11 heating oil companies that serve Franklin 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 2 “full-service” oil companies that serve Franklin County. Full service companies such as Bobs Cash Fuel or Bobs Cash Fuel 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County include Valley Gas & Oil Co and Valley Gas and Oil Company.

Franklin County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Franklin County: 11 companies

Average Number Of Franklin County Homes Served Per Company: 335 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Franklin County Oil Company: 240,742 gallons per year

Franklin County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

3,692 households in Franklin County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Franklin County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

51% of Franklin County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Franklin County Households	Franklin County Heating Oil Households
7,173	3,692

34 Franklin County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 3 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Franklin County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Franklin County community relies on its 34 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 Franklin County, two of the closest terminals are Buckeye in Bangor, ME and Pbt in Brewer, ME. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Franklin County.