Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Bristol Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homes have a choice of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the preferred choice in Bristol, used by 1,473,396 or 52% of households. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Bristol families is Electricity, used by 610,876 homes (22%). The rest of the homes are heated with Heating Oil (20%), Propane (5%), Wood (1%), and Other (1%).

Bristol County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (No. 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 Bristol

Oil has become less frequently used in Bristol. In the 6 years since 2019, the number of households using fuel oil dipped from 646,103 to 555,640, a 14% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Bristol

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel grew from 98,388 to 128,896, a 31% change. Comparing 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel grew from 1,385,815 to 1,473,396, a 6% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Bristol

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are increasing in demand in Bristol. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity jumped from 448,883 to 610,876, a 36% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Bristol

The most eco-friendly heating option is solar. 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. As it stands today, 9,580 homes in Bristol are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 170% gain from 2019, when 3,549 homes incorporated active solar heating.

Bristol County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Bristol County homeowners purchased a total of 50 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Bristol’s overall fuel oil use fluctuates from year to year as winter conditions change. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ boilers need to burn additional heating oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Bristol was 30.0°F, which was 4.5°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Bristol County Average Winter Temperature

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

Bristol County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Bristol homes heating with oil, picking which of the 126 heating oil companies that serve Bristol can drastically impact the cost of home heating.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who are willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select one of the 535 “full-service” oil companies that serve Bristol. Full service companies such as Ruggiero Bros Inc or Stateline Fuel & Burner Service offer families annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic oil delivery and HVAC repair. With an automatic heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s heating 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 known by the names “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for homeowners who are on a budget. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. A few of the 2 Bristol cash heating oil companies serving Bristol include Advanced Energy Ltd and Oil Only.

Bristol Fuel Oil Company By The Numbers: Oil Companies Serving Bristol: 126 companies .
Average Number of Bristol Houses Served per Number Two Heating Oil company : 4410

Bristol Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

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

1288 Bristol Number Two Heating Oil Companies Go The Distance

With 582,115,838 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Bristol residences the last heating season, the Bristol community looks to its 1288 oil companies when temperatures dip. 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 Bristol, two of the closest terminals are Sprague W in Springfield, MA and Buckeye in Springfield, MA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses throughout Bristol and the surrounding vicinity.