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

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Heating oil is the most popular choice in Knox County, used by 344,285 or 59.84% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Knox 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).

Knox County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Knox 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 Knox County

Heating oil has become less popular in Knox County. In the 7 years since 2015, the number of heating oil homes fell from 359,172 to 344,285, a 4.14% drop.

Knox 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 Knox County

Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 45,626 to 74,720.

Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 33,136 to 46,832.

Electricity use for home heating in Knox County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Knox County. Since 2015, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 27,536 to 53,649, a 94.83% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Knox 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 Knox County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 246.85% increase from 2015, when only 508 homes had installed active solar heating.

Knox County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Knox County homeowners purchased a total of 2 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Knox County Average Winter Temperature

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

Knox County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Knox County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 6 heating oil companies that serve Knox 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 5 “full-service” oil companies that serve Knox County. Full service companies such as Maritime Energy or MA Haskell Fuel Company LLC 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 Knox 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 Knox County include CB Haskell Fuel Company Inc and Boothbay Energy.

Knox County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Knox County: 6 companies

Average Number Of Knox County Homes Served Per Company: 575 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Knox County Oil Company: 412,909 gallons per year

Knox County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

3,454 households in Knox County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Knox County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

63% of Knox County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Knox County Households	Knox County Heating Oil Households
5,435	3,454

8 Knox County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 2 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Knox County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Knox County community relies on its 8 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 Knox 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 Knox County.