Homes have a choice of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most popular choice in Franklin, used by 1,473,396 or 52% of homeowners. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Franklin 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%).

Franklin 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 Franklin

Fuel oil has become less popular in Franklin. In the 2 years since 2023, the number of residents using oil fell from 615,564 to 555,640, a 10% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Franklin

Between 2023 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel declined from 137,540 to 128,896, a 6% change. Comparing 2023 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel grew from 1,413,104 to 1,473,396, a 4% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Franklin

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are gaining popularity in Franklin. Since 2023, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 556,235 to 610,876, a 10% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Franklin

The most eco-friendly heating option is solar. 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. As it stands today, 9,580 homes in Franklin are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 38% gain from 2023, when 6,958 homes had active solar heating.

Franklin County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Franklin County homeowners purchased a total of 10 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Franklin’s overall oil usage varies each year as winter conditions change. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ furnaces need to burn increasing amounts of number two heating oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Franklin was 30.0°F, which was 4.5°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Franklin County Average Winter Temperature

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

Franklin County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Franklin homeowners heating with fuel oil, picking which of the 20 heating oil companies that serve Franklin can drastically impact the cost of home heating.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who prefer a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 44 “full-service” oil companies that serve Franklin. Full service companies such as West Oil Company Inc or West Oil Company Inc offer customers annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic number two heating oil delivery and heating system repair. With an automatic number two heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s 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: Often called “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 fuel 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 Franklin cash heating oil companies serving Franklin include Rowley Fuel and Sandri Energy Llc.

Franklin Heating Oil Company Fast Facts: Fuel oil Companies Serving Franklin: 20 companies .
Average Number of Franklin Homes Served per Number Two Heating Oil company : 27782

Franklin Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

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

140 Franklin Number Two Heating Oil Companies Serving The Community

With 582,115,838 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Franklin homes last winter, the Franklin community relies on its 140 oil companies to keep warm throughout the winter. 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 Franklin, 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 homes and businesses throughout Franklin and the surrounding vicinity.

Heating Oil Near You In These Adjacent Counties