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

Households have a host of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in Bristol, used by 1,473,396 or 52% of families. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Bristol families is Electricity, used by 610,876 homes (22%). The other 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

Fuel oil has become less popular in Bristol. In the 11 years since 2014, the number of residents using number two heating oil dropped from 703,760 to 555,640, a 21% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Bristol

Between 2014 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel increased from 77,135 to 128,896, a 67% change. Comparing 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel shot up from 1,310,713 to 1,473,396, a 12% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Bristol

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Bristol. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity jumped from 371,616 to 610,876, a 64% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Bristol

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. Currently, 9,580 homes in Bristol are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 1061% gain from 2014, when 825 homes utilized 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 heating oil usage varies each year correlating with how cold it gets each winter. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ boilers need to burn additional number two heating oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. 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 homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 126 heating oil companies that serve Bristol 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 pick one of the 521 “full-service” oil companies that serve Bristol. Full service companies such as Ruggiero Bros Inc or AI's Quality Oil Co offer households annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic number two heating oil delivery and boiler repair. With an automatic oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s heating oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The client 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 families who are on a budget. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the fuel oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order either when the level runs low or just before a major snowstorm. Examples of 2 Bristol cash heating oil companies serving Bristol include Advanced Energy Ltd and Oil Only.

Bristol Heating Oil Company Statistics: Fuel oil Companies Serving Bristol: 126 companies .
Average Number of Bristol Homes Served per Heating Oil company : 4410

Bristol Heating Oil Delivery Overview

555,640 houses in Bristol heat their homes with 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 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

1281 Bristol Fuel Oil Companies Homeowners Can Count On

With 582,115,838 gallons of oil delivered to Bristol households during this past winter, the Bristol community looks to its 1281 oil companies to keep warm throughout the winter. Oil delivery is a two step process: 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 area.