Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Heating oil is the most popular choice in Hillsborough County, used by 224,725 or 41.34% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Hillsborough County homeowners is natural gas, used by 117,536 homes (21.62%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (100,624), electricity (57,780), wood (35,074), and other fuels (16,939).

Hillsborough County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Hillsborough County Households	% of Households
Heating Oil	224,725	41.34%
Natural Gas	117,536	21.62%
Propane	100,624	18.51%
Electricity	57,780	10.63%
Wood	35,074	6.45%
Other Fuels	10,355	1.90%
No Fuel	5,272	0.97%
Solar	690	0.13%
Coal	622	0.11%

Heating oil (41.34)

Natural gas (21.62)

Propane (18.51)

Electricity (10.63)

Wood (6.45)

Other fuels (1.90)

No fuel (0.97)

Solar (0.13)

Coal (0.11)

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

Heating oil has become less popular in Hillsborough County. In the 7 years since 2015, the number of heating oil homes fell from 241,293 to 224,725, a 6.87% drop.

Hillsborough County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	262,755
2012	257,827
2013	251,497
2014	245,025
2015	241,293
2016	236,690
2017	234,647
2018	233,209
2019	233,052
2020	232,901
2021	228,197
2022	224,725

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

Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 75,121 to 100,624.

Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 102,617 to 117,536.

Electricity use for home heating in Hillsborough County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Hillsborough County. Since 2015, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 43,065 to 57,780, a 34.17% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Hillsborough 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, 690 homes in Hillsborough County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 68.29% increase from 2015, when only 410 homes had installed active solar heating.

Hillsborough County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Hillsborough County homeowners purchased a total of 43 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough County, the average outside temperature was 14.7° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Hillsborough County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	37.9° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	23.2° F

Hillsborough County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Hillsborough County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 70 heating oil companies that serve Hillsborough 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 56 “full-service” oil companies that serve Hillsborough County. Full service companies such as Absco Heating or NRG Fuel 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 Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough County include Patriot Heating & Cooling, LLC and Lemay Oil Services.

Hillsborough County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Hillsborough County: 70 companies

Average Number Of Hillsborough County Homes Served Per Company: 689 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Hillsborough County Oil Company: 612,139 gallons per year

Hillsborough County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

48,277 households in Hillsborough County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Hillsborough County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

29% of Hillsborough County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Hillsborough County Households	Hillsborough County Heating Oil Households
163,181	48,277

691 Hillsborough County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 43 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Hillsborough County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Hillsborough County community relies on its 691 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 Hillsborough County, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Newington, NH and Gulf in Chelsea, MA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Hillsborough County.