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

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

Waldo County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Waldo 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 Waldo County

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

Waldo 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 Waldo 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 Waldo County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Waldo 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 Waldo 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 Waldo County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 246.85% increase from 2015, when only 508 homes had installed active solar heating.

Waldo County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Waldo County homeowners purchased a total of 5 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Waldo County Average Winter Temperature

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

Waldo County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Waldo County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 17 heating oil companies that serve Waldo 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 18 “full-service” oil companies that serve Waldo County. Full service companies such as Gary's Fuel Oil Co Inc or Tidewater 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 Waldo 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 Waldo County include Pittsfield Pipers and Waldo Country Oil & Propane.

Waldo County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Waldo County: 17 companies

Average Number Of Waldo County Homes Served Per Company: 397 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Waldo County Oil Company: 284,756 gallons per year

Waldo County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

6,749 households in Waldo County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Waldo County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

59% of Waldo County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Waldo County Households	Waldo County Heating Oil Households
11,353	6,749

63 Waldo County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 5 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Waldo County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Waldo County community relies on its 63 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 Waldo 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 Waldo County.