Families have a variety of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the preferred choice in Berkshire, used by 1,473,396 or 52% of residents. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Berkshire families is Electricity, used by 610,876 homes (22%). The remaining homes are heated with Heating Oil (20%), Propane (5%), Wood (1%), and Other (1%).

Berkshire County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (in Number of Households)

Year	Natural Gas	Propane	Electricity	Oil	Wood	Solar	Other
2025	1,473,396	128,896	610,876	555,640	29,010	9,580	23,565
2024	1,472,791	124,926	578,927	572,376	29,933	9,004	21,569
2023	1,413,104	137,540	556,235	615,564	28,805	6,958	25,447
2022	1,443,888	131,253	509,852	627,332	30,194	6,361	26,280
2021	1,411,895	129,599	492,336	649,036	30,651	5,807	21,455
2020	1,398,855	113,994	470,610	647,570	31,378	4,678	21,500
2019	1,385,815	98,388	448,883	646,103	32,105	3,549	21,544
2018	1,374,460	92,227	434,646	657,583	28,621	3,078	20,618
2017	1,353,682	88,756	418,715	674,937	34,421	3,525	19,989
2016	1,332,610	81,858	405,055	688,925	35,051	2,421	19,478
2015	1,306,073	79,528	403,279	690,548	38,927	1,693	20,120
2014	1,310,713	77,135	371,616	703,760	41,999	825	21,307
2013	1,265,878	81,306	371,400	740,917	47,009	1,432	17,553
2012	1,249,253	68,517	365,060	772,641	43,393	487	14,495
2011	1,242,643	65,582	354,007	806,422	40,356	893	13,919
2010	1,234,502	70,046	341,806	810,266	38,813	880	14,235

Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Berkshire

Number two heating oil has become decreasing in demand in Berkshire. In the 3 years since 2022, the number of households using number two heating oil declined from 627,332 to 555,640, a 11% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Berkshire

Between 2022 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel fell from 131,253 to 128,896, a 2% change. Comparing 2022 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel shot up from 1,443,888 to 1,473,396, a 2% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Berkshire

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more prevalent in Berkshire. Since 2022, the number of homes heating with electricity ramped up from 509,852 to 610,876, a 20% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Berkshire

Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all 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 (similar to a hot water heater) in the basement. Now, 9,580 homes in Berkshire are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 51% gain from 2022, when 6,361 homes utilized active solar heating.

Berkshire County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Berkshire County homeowners purchased a total of 13 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Berkshire’s overall heating oil use changes each year based on the severity of the winter. As the temperature outside drops, homes’ HVAC systems need to burn increasing amounts of heating oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Berkshire was 30.0°F, which was 4.5°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Berkshire County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
2024 - 2025	30° F
2023 - 2024	34.5° F

Berkshire County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Berkshire homeowners heating with oil, choosing which of the 10 heating oil companies that serve Berkshire plays a big role in determining how much money is spent on heating each winter.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who are willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 37 “full-service” oil companies that serve Berkshire. Full service companies such as Lipton Energy or West Oil Company Inc offer families annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic number two heating oil delivery and boiler repair. With an automatic fuel oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s fuel oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The customer 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 families who are on a budget. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the number two heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. Some of the 2 Berkshire cash heating oil companies serving Berkshire include Clifford Oil and Pioneer Valley Oil & Propane.

Berkshire Heating Oil Company By The Numbers: Number two heating oil Companies Serving Berkshire: 10 companies .
Average Number of Berkshire Homes Served per Fuel Oil company : 55564

Berkshire Heating Oil Delivery Overview

555,640 residences in Berkshire heat their homes with heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Berkshire temperatures drop as low as 24.3° F each winter. 19.6% of Berkshire families depend on oil delivery each winter.

9.8% of Berkshire County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Berkshire County Households	Berkshire County Heating Oil Households
5.6M	555,640

124 Berkshire Fuel Oil Companies Serving The Community

With 582,115,838 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Berkshire homeowners the last heating season, the Berkshire community depends on its 124 oil companies to keep warm throughout the winter. Oil delivery has two parts to it: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of Berkshire, two of the closest terminals are Sprague W in Springfield, MA and Buckeye in Springfield, MA. Then, the truck delivers the fuel oil to homes and businesses throughout Berkshire and the surrounding area.

Heating Oil Near You In These Adjacent Counties