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

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

Norfolk County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (No. 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 Norfolk

Heating oil has become less popular in Norfolk. In the 11 years since 2014, the number of residents using fuel oil declined from 703,760 to 555,640, a 21% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Norfolk

Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 77,135 to 128,896, a 67% change. Comparing 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel increased from 1,310,713 to 1,473,396, a 12% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Norfolk

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more prevalent in Norfolk. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity shot up from 371,616 to 610,876, a 64% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Norfolk

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. As it stands today, 9,580 homes in Norfolk are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 1061% gain from 2014, when 825 homes used active solar heating.

Norfolk County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Norfolk County homeowners purchased a total of 60 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Norfolk’s overall oil usage fluctuates annually depending on winter temperatures. As the temperature outside gets more chilly, homes’ HVAC systems need to burn additional fuel oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Norfolk was 30.0°F, which was 4.5°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Norfolk County Average Winter Temperature

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

Norfolk County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Norfolk residences heating with oil, choosing which of the 228 heating oil companies that serve Norfolk can drastically impact the cost of home heating.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who are willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 2310 “full-service” oil companies that serve Norfolk. Full service companies such as Ruggiero Bros Inc or Comfort Temp Oil offer households annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and HVAC 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 customer 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 families 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. Examples of 2 Norfolk cash heating oil companies serving Norfolk include Hughes Oil and Independent Fuel.

Norfolk Heating Oil Company By The Numbers: Oil Companies Serving Norfolk: 228 companies .
Average Number of Norfolk Homes Served per Heating Oil company : 2437

Norfolk Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

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

4527 Norfolk Heating Oil Companies You Can Trust

With 582,115,838 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Norfolk residences last winter, the Norfolk community relies on its 4527 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. 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 Norfolk, 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 Norfolk and the surrounding area.