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

Penobscot County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Penobscot 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 Penobscot County

Heating oil has become less popular in Penobscot County. In the 4 years since 2018, the number of heating oil homes fell from 344,793 to 344,285, a 0.15% drop.

Penobscot 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 Penobscot County

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 55,460 to 74,720.

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 41,237 to 46,832.

Electricity use for home heating in Penobscot County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Penobscot County. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 34,834 to 53,649, a 54.01% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Penobscot 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 Penobscot County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 125.61% increase from 2018, when only 781 homes had installed active solar heating.

Penobscot County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Penobscot County homeowners purchased a total of 21 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Penobscot County Average Winter Temperature

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

Penobscot County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Penobscot County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 22 heating oil companies that serve Penobscot 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 1 “full-service” oil companies that serve Penobscot County. Full service companies such as Gary's Fuel Oil Co Inc or undefined 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 Penobscot 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 Penobscot County include RH Foster Energy and Pittsfield Pipers.

Penobscot County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Penobscot County: 22 companies

Average Number Of Penobscot County Homes Served Per Company: 1,329 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Penobscot County Oil Company: 953,939 gallons per year

Penobscot County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

29,259 households in Penobscot County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Penobscot County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

56% of Penobscot County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Penobscot County Households	Penobscot County Heating Oil Households
52,037	29,259

286 Penobscot County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 21 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Penobscot County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Penobscot County community relies on its 286 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 Penobscot 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 Penobscot County.