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

Households have a host of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most popular choice in Essex, used by 1,473,396 or 52% of residents. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Essex residents 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%).

Essex 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 Essex

Number two heating oil has become less popular in Essex. In the 12 years since 2013, the number of households using fuel oil fell from 740,917 to 555,640, a 25% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Essex

Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel grew from 81,306 to 128,896, a 59% change. Comparing 2013 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 1,265,878 to 1,473,396, a 16% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Essex

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are gaining popularity in Essex. Since 2013, the number of homes heating with electricity jumped from 371,400 to 610,876, a 64% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Essex

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. Today, 9,580 homes in Essex are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 569% gain from 2013, when 1,432 homes utilized active solar heating.

Essex County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Essex County homeowners purchased a total of 59 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Essex’s overall number two heating oil usage changes from year to year primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside drops, homes’ HVAC systems need to burn more and more fuel oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Essex was 30.0°F, which was 4.5°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Essex County Average Winter Temperature

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

Essex County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Essex homes heating with heating oil, picking which of the 176 heating oil companies that serve Essex is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who can afford a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select one of the 1231 “full-service” oil companies that serve Essex. Full service companies such as Keohan Fuels & Transportation Inc or Absolute Oil offer clients annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic oil delivery and heating system repair. With an automatic oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s fuel oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The household 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 clients who are on a budget. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when the oil gauge dips below a quarter tank. A few of the 2 Essex cash heating oil companies serving Essex include Edgemont Oil Llc and Maria's Oil.

Essex Number Two Heating Oil Company By The Numbers: Number two heating oil Companies Serving Essex: 176 companies .
Average Number of Essex Households Served per Fuel Oil company : 3157

Essex Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

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

2714 Essex Heating Oil Companies You Can Trust

With 582,115,838 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Essex residences last winter, the Essex community relies on its 2714 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 Essex, two of the closest terminals are Sprague W in Springfield, MA and Buckeye in Springfield, MA. Then, the truck delivers the number two heating oil to residences and companies throughout Essex and the surrounding region.