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

Hampshire 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 Hampshire

Oil has become losing popularity in Hampshire. In the 4 years since 2021, the number of families using oil declined from 649,036 to 555,640, a 14% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Hampshire

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 jumped from 1,411,895 to 1,473,396, a 4% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Hampshire

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

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Hampshire

Out of all fuels, solar is the safest for the environment. 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 Hampshire are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 65% gain from 2021, when 5,807 homes utilized active solar heating.

Hampshire County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Hampshire County homeowners purchased a total of 19 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Hampshire’s overall oil usage changes from year to year primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ furnaces need to burn more and more heating oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Hampshire was 30.0°F, which was 4.5°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Hampshire County Average Winter Temperature

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

Hampshire County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Hampshire households heating with number two heating oil, selecting which of the 64 heating oil companies that serve Hampshire plays a big role in determining how much money is spent on heating each winter.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who can afford a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 263 “full-service” oil companies that serve Hampshire. Full service companies such as Richard's Fuel & Heating Inc or Kieras Oil Inc offer households annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic number two heating oil delivery and HVAC repair. With an automatic oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s number two heating 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: Often called “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for customers who are on a budget. With discount oil companies, in return for better 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. Examples of 2 Hampshire cash heating oil companies serving Hampshire include Nowak Oil Co and Surner Discount Oil.

Hampshire Number Two Heating Oil Company Statistics: Heating oil Companies Serving Hampshire: 64 companies .
Average Number of Hampshire Houses Served per Number Two Heating Oil company : 8682

Hampshire Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

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

536 Hampshire Number Two Heating Oil Companies Go The Distance

With 582,115,838 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Hampshire residences the last heating season, the Hampshire community relies on its 536 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 Hampshire, 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 Hampshire and the surrounding region.

Heating Oil Near You In These Adjacent Counties