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

Families have a variety 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 families. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Essex residents is Electricity, used by 610,876 homes (22%). The remaining 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

Fuel oil has become less popular in Essex. In the 8 years since 2017, the number of residents using number two heating oil decreased from 674,937 to 555,640, a 18% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Essex

Between 2017 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 88,756 to 128,896, a 45% change. Comparing 2017 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel shot up from 1,353,682 to 1,473,396, a 9% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Essex

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more prevalent in Essex. Since 2017, the number of homes heating with electricity increased from 418,715 to 610,876, a 46% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Essex

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. Currently, 9,580 homes in Essex are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 172% gain from 2017, when 3,525 homes had 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 heating oil consumption fluctuates yearly primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside gets more chilly, homes’ HVAC systems need to burn more and more heating oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. 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 homeowners heating with heating oil, selecting which of the 176 heating oil companies that serve Essex 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 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 homeowners annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and furnace repair. With an automatic heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s number two heating oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The family 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 budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the fuel oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when the oil gauge dips below a quarter tank. Some of the 2 Essex cash heating oil companies serving Essex include Edgemont Oil Llc and Maria's Oil.

Essex Fuel Oil Company Fast Facts: 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 households 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 residences are reliant on number two heating 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 homeowners last winter, the Essex community relies on its 2714 oil companies when temperatures dip. 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 Essex, two of the closest terminals are Sprague W in Springfield, MA and Buckeye in Springfield, MA. Then, the truck delivers the oil to homes and businesses throughout Essex and the surrounding region.