Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Windham Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Homeowners have a variety of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the preferred choice in Windham, used by 537,918 or 37% of residents. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Windham residents is Heating Oil, used by 491,612 homes (34%). The remaining homes are heated with Electricity (21%), Propane (6%), Wood (1%), and Other (1%).
Windham County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (in Number of Households)
| Year | Natural Gas | Propane | Electricity | Oil | Wood | Solar | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 537,918 | 88,504 | 302,730 | 491,612 | 19,550 | 6,488 | 10,689 |
| 2024 | 526,146 | 82,630 | 293,463 | 509,593 | 21,103 | 5,852 | 10,146 |
| 2023 | 530,315 | 92,469 | 276,839 | 496,091 | 19,885 | 4,238 | 15,392 |
| 2022 | 519,969 | 86,596 | 262,494 | 520,424 | 18,487 | 2,985 | 13,466 |
| 2021 | 506,772 | 80,721 | 258,306 | 532,053 | 22,992 | 2,966 | 14,306 |
| 2020 | 503,622 | 73,848 | 247,960 | 533,736 | 22,648 | 1,909 | 11,330 |
| 2019 | 500,471 | 66,974 | 237,614 | 535,420 | 22,304 | 852 | 8,355 |
| 2018 | 497,422 | 60,526 | 232,420 | 549,036 | 22,954 | 1,579 | 8,782 |
| 2017 | 478,136 | 55,608 | 219,208 | 562,247 | 24,510 | 1,029 | 10,257 |
| 2016 | 476,852 | 55,631 | 230,532 | 554,283 | 23,580 | 900 | 9,232 |
| 2015 | 471,195 | 51,915 | 214,414 | 561,996 | 29,530 | 937 | 8,159 |
| 2014 | 464,748 | 49,540 | 212,031 | 576,948 | 34,478 | 554 | 11,670 |
| 2013 | 449,787 | 46,397 | 209,463 | 585,757 | 29,361 | 401 | 10,236 |
| 2012 | 442,443 | 43,849 | 212,708 | 615,734 | 27,351 | 378 | 9,891 |
| 2011 | 437,840 | 43,778 | 207,267 | 625,164 | 25,707 | 611 | 7,588 |
| 2010 | 427,850 | 39,533 | 203,568 | 650,621 | 26,373 | 299 | 7,110 |
Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Windham
Oil has become losing popularity in Windham. In the 1 years since 2024, the number of households using number two heating oil declined from 509,593 to 491,612, a 4% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Windham
Between 2024 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel ramped up from 82,630 to 88,504, a 7% change. Comparing 2024 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel ramped up from 526,146 to 537,918, a 2% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Windham
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Windham. Since 2024, the number of homes heating with electricity ramped up from 293,463 to 302,730, a 3% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Windham
Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all heating fuels. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid flows between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank (similar to a hot water heater) in the basement. Now, 6,488 homes in Windham are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 11% gain from 2024, when 5,852 homes had active solar heating.
Windham County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Windham County homeowners purchased a total of 20 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Windham’s overall number two heating oil use varies annually based on the severity of the winter. As the temperature outside dips, homes’ heating systems need to burn additional fuel oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Windham was 30.6°F, which was 4.6°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Windham County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 30.6° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 35.2° F |
Windham County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Windham families heating with fuel oil, picking which of the 56 heating oil companies that serve Windham can drastically impact the cost of home heating.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who prefer a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select one of the 395 “full-service” oil companies that serve Windham. Full service companies such as Ed's Garage Inc or HYBRID SERVICES LLC. offer homeowners annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic oil delivery and furnace repair. With an automatic heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The homeowner does not need to monitor the level of the oil tank or place individual orders.
Discount Oil Companies: also referred to as “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for customers who are budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. Examples of 2 Windham cash heating oil companies serving Windham include Asi Oil LLC and Saveway Petroleum.
Windham Number Two Heating Oil Company Fast Facts: Heating oil Companies Serving Windham: 56 companies .
Average Number of Windham Households Served per Heating Oil company : 8779
Windham Heating Oil Delivery Overview
491,612 residences in Windham heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Windham temperatures drop as low as 25.1° F each winter. 33.7% of Windham houses depend on fuel oil delivery each winter.
16.8% of Windham County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Windham County Households | Windham County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 2.9M | 491,612 |
806 Windham Fuel Oil Companies You Can Bank On
With 397,280,973 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Windham homeowners during this past winter, the Windham community depends on its 806 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. Oil delivery can be summed up in two steps: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of Windham, two of the closest terminals are Buckeye in Wethersfield, CT and Sprague W in Springfield, MA. Then, the truck delivers the fuel oil to residences and companies throughout Windham and the surrounding vicinity.
