Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Heating oil is the most popular choice in Windham County, used by 108,499 or 41.06% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Windham County homeowners is natural gas, used by 50,127 homes (18.97%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (50,123), wood (35,629), electricity (19,788), and other fuels (7,814).

Windham County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Windham County Households	% of Households
Heating Oil	108,499	41.06%
Natural Gas	50,127	18.97%
Propane	50,123	18.97%
Wood	35,629	13.48%
Electricity	19,788	7.49%
Other Fuels	5,692	2.15%
Solar	1,042	0.39%
No Fuel	619	0.23%
Coal	461	0.17%

Heating oil (41.06)

Natural gas (18.97)

Propane (18.97)

Wood (13.48)

Electricity (7.49)

Other fuels (2.15)

Solar (0.39)

No fuel (0.23)

Coal (0.17)

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

Heating oil has become less popular in Windham County. In the 5 years since 2017, the number of heating oil homes fell from 111,092 to 108,499, a 2.33% drop.

Windham County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	128,566
2012	124,072
2013	119,422
2014	117,459
2015	114,826
2016	111,441
2017	111,092
2018	110,704
2019	108,976
2020	110,870
2021	108,747
2022	108,499

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

Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 40,879 to 50,123.

Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 45,323 to 50,127.

Electricity use for home heating in Windham County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Windham County. Since 2017, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 12,671 to 19,788, a 56.17% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Windham 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, 1,042 homes in Windham County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 174.93% increase from 2017, when only 379 homes had installed active solar heating.

Windham County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Windham County homeowners purchased a total of 6 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Windham 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 Windham County, the average outside temperature was 16.1° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Windham County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	33.6° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	17.5° F

Windham County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Windham County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 9 heating oil companies that serve Windham 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 3 “full-service” oil companies that serve Windham County. Full service companies such as Barrows & Fisher Oil or Barrows & Fisher 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 Windham 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 Windham County include Sila Heating and Air Conditioning NY Office and Tri Tech Mechanical.

Windham County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Windham County: 9 companies

Average Number Of Windham County Homes Served Per Company: 816 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Windham County Oil Company: 693,016 gallons per year

Windham County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

7,347 households in Windham County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Windham County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

55% of Windham County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Windham County Households	Windham County Heating Oil Households
13,240	7,347

40 Windham County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 6 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Windham County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Windham County community relies on its 40 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 Windham County, two of the closest terminals are Sti in Springfield, MA and Sprague in Springfield, MA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Windham County.