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

Homeowners have a host of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in Franklin, used by 1,473,396 or 52% of households. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Franklin homeowners is Electricity, used by 610,876 homes (22%). The other homes are heated with Heating Oil (20%), Propane (5%), Wood (1%), and Other (1%).

Franklin County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (No. of Households)

YearNatural GasPropaneElectricityOilWoodSolarOther
20251,473,396128,896610,876555,64029,0109,58023,565
20241,472,791124,926578,927572,37629,9339,00421,569
20231,413,104137,540556,235615,56428,8056,95825,447
20221,443,888131,253509,852627,33230,1946,36126,280
20211,411,895129,599492,336649,03630,6515,80721,455
20201,398,855113,994470,610647,57031,3784,67821,500
20191,385,81598,388448,883646,10332,1053,54921,544
20181,374,46092,227434,646657,58328,6213,07820,618
20171,353,68288,756418,715674,93734,4213,52519,989
20161,332,61081,858405,055688,92535,0512,42119,478
20151,306,07379,528403,279690,54838,9271,69320,120
20141,310,71377,135371,616703,76041,99982521,307
20131,265,87881,306371,400740,91747,0091,43217,553
20121,249,25368,517365,060772,64143,39348714,495
20111,242,64365,582354,007806,42240,35689313,919
20101,234,50270,046341,806810,26638,81388014,235

Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Franklin

Heating oil has become less popular in Franklin. In the 4 years since 2021, the number of households using oil dropped from 649,036 to 555,640, a 14% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Franklin

Between 2021 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel declined from 129,599 to 128,896, a 1% change. Comparing 2021 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,411,895 to 1,473,396, a 4% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Franklin

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Franklin. Since 2021, the number of homes heating with electricity increased from 492,336 to 610,876, a 24% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Franklin

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. Currently, 9,580 homes in Franklin are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 65% gain from 2021, when 5,807 homes used 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 number two heating oil consumption fluctuates annually correlating with how cold it gets each winter. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ HVAC systems need to burn additional oil to keep the house warm inside. 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 SeasonAverage Temperature
2024 - 202530° F
2023 - 202434.5° F

Franklin County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Franklin households heating with oil, choosing which of the 20 heating oil companies that serve Franklin makes a big difference.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who want a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select 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 clients annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and HVAC 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 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 customers who are looking to save money. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the number two heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. A few of the 2 Franklin cash heating oil companies serving Franklin include Rowley Fuel and Sandri Energy Llc.

Franklin Fuel Oil Company Statistics: Fuel oil Companies Serving Franklin: 20 companies .
Average Number of Franklin Households Served per Fuel Oil company : 27782

Franklin Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

Franklin County HouseholdsFranklin County Heating Oil Households
5.6M555,640

140 Franklin Heating Oil Companies You Can Bank On

With 582,115,838 gallons of heating oil delivered to Franklin homes during this past winter, the Franklin community looks to its 140 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 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 residences and companies throughout Franklin and the surrounding region.