Date	Average Oil Price
10/21/2024	$2.940
10/20/2024	$2.940
10/19/2024	$2.940
10/18/2024	$2.940
10/17/2024	$2.940
10/16/2024	$2.950
10/15/2024	$2.950
10/14/2024	$2.950
10/13/2024	$2.960
10/12/2024	$2.960
10/11/2024	$2.960
10/10/2024	$2.940
10/09/2024	$2.930
10/08/2024	$2.930
10/07/2024	$2.910
10/06/2024	$2.880
10/05/2024	$2.880
10/04/2024	$2.880
10/03/2024	$2.870
10/02/2024	$2.850
10/01/2024	$2.850
09/30/2024	$2.850
09/29/2024	$2.860
09/28/2024	$2.860
09/27/2024	$2.860
09/26/2024	$2.860
09/25/2024	$2.870
09/24/2024	$2.860
09/23/2024	$2.860
09/22/2024	$2.860

Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Southern Maine Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Heating oil is the most popular choice in Southern Maine, used by 167,298 or 58.18% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Southern Maine homeowners is propane, used by 37,433 homes (13.02%). The remaining homes are heated with natural gas (35,237), electricity (27,239), wood (16,273), and other fuels (8,182).

Southern Maine Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Southern Maine Households	% of Households
Heating Oil	167,298	58.18%
Propane	37,433	13.02%
Natural Gas	35,237	12.25%
Electricity	27,239	9.47%
Wood	16,273	5.66%
Other Fuels	5,677	1.97%
No Fuel	1,418	0.49%
Solar	829	0.29%
Coal	258	0.09%

Heating oil (58.18)

Propane (13.02)

Natural gas (12.25)

Electricity (9.47)

Wood (5.66)

Other fuels (1.97)

No fuel (0.49)

Solar (0.29)

Coal (0.09)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Southern Maine

Heating oil has become more popular in Southern Maine. In the 5 years since 2017, the number of heating oil homes rose from 166,348 to 167,298, a 0.57% lift.

Southern Maine Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	189,578
2012	185,709
2013	180,656
2014	176,181
2015	172,110
2016	168,673
2017	166,348
2018	165,495
2019	164,647
2020	166,755
2021	166,603
2022	167,298

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Southern Maine

Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 27,152 to 37,433.

Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 30,229 to 35,237.

Electricity use for home heating in Southern Maine

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Southern Maine. Since 2017, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 15,504 to 27,239, a 75.69% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Southern Maine

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, 829 homes in Southern Maine are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 212.83% increase from 2017, when only 265 homes had installed active solar heating.

Southern Maine Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Southern Maine homeowners purchased a total of 247 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Southern Maine’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 Southern Maine, the average outside temperature was 9.4° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Southern Maine Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2023 - 2024	53.5° F
Winter 2022 - 2023	44.1° F

Southern Maine Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Southern Maine homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 114 heating oil companies that serve Southern Maine 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 13 “full-service” oil companies that serve Southern Maine. Full service companies such as Heatable or Heatable 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 Southern Maine 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 Southern Maine include Welch Oil Llc and Garthwaite Energy Inc.

Southern Maine Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Southern Maine: 114 companies

Average Number Of Southern Maine Homes Served Per Company: 1,467 homes

Southern Maine Heating Oil Delivery Overview

Approximately 2,069,613 households in Southern Maine heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Southern Maine temperatures drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

63% of Southern Maine Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Southern Maine Households	Southern Maine Heating Oil Households
3.2M	2.0M

114 Southern Maine Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 247 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Southern Maine homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Southern Maine community relies on its 114 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 Southern Maine, 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 Southern Maine.