Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Heating oil is the most popular choice in Strafford County, used by 224,725 or 41.34% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Strafford 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).

Strafford County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Strafford 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 Strafford County

Heating oil has become less popular in Strafford County. In the 8 years since 2014, the number of heating oil homes fell from 245,025 to 224,725, a 8.28% drop.

Strafford 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 Strafford County

Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 73,881 to 100,624.

Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 102,284 to 117,536.

Electricity use for home heating in Strafford County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Strafford County. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 42,362 to 57,780, a 36.40% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Strafford 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 Strafford County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 114.95% increase from 2014, when only 321 homes had installed active solar heating.

Strafford County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Strafford County homeowners purchased a total of 20 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Strafford County Average Winter Temperature

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

Strafford County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Strafford County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 40 heating oil companies that serve Strafford 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 9 “full-service” oil companies that serve Strafford County. Full service companies such as NiBROC Oil or Hartmann 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 Strafford 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 Strafford County include Eastern and Triumph Htg & Clg.

Strafford County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Strafford County: 40 companies

Average Number Of Strafford County Homes Served Per Company: 559 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Strafford County Oil Company: 496,979 gallons per year

Strafford County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

22,397 households in Strafford County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Strafford County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

43% of Strafford County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Strafford County Households	Strafford County Heating Oil Households
51,605	22,397

282 Strafford County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 20 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Strafford County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Strafford County community relies on its 282 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 Strafford County, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Newington, NH and Sprague in So. Portland, ME. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Strafford County.