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

Families have a choice of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the preferred choice in Plymouth, used by 1,473,396 or 52% of residents. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Plymouth 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%).

Plymouth 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 Plymouth

Fuel oil has become less popular in Plymouth. In the 6 years since 2019, the number of families using heating oil declined from 646,103 to 555,640, a 14% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Plymouth

Between 2019 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 98,388 to 128,896, a 31% change. Comparing 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel ramped up from 1,385,815 to 1,473,396, a 6% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Plymouth

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more prevalent in Plymouth. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 448,883 to 610,876, a 36% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Plymouth

Out of all fuels, solar is the safest for the environment. 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. Today, 9,580 homes in Plymouth are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 170% gain from 2019, when 3,549 homes incorporated active solar heating.

Plymouth County Heating Oil Trends

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

Short Term Trends

Plymouth’s overall oil consumption changes annually as winter conditions change. As the temperature outside drops, homes’ heating systems need to burn increasing amounts of number two heating oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Plymouth was 30.0°F, which was 4.5°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Plymouth County Average Winter Temperature

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

Plymouth County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Plymouth households heating with number two heating oil, selecting which of the 180 heating oil companies that serve Plymouth is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who can afford a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 1323 “full-service” oil companies that serve Plymouth. Full service companies such as Wilkinson Fuels & Propane or DeBross Hathaway Marvel Inc offer clients annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic oil delivery and heating system repair. With an automatic oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The client does not need to monitor the level of the oil tank or place individual orders.

Discount Oil Companies: also referred to as “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 heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when the oil gauge dips below a quarter tank. Examples of 2 Plymouth cash heating oil companies serving Plymouth include Bisson Oil and Ohara Fuel.

Plymouth Oil Company By The Numbers: Heating oil Companies Serving Plymouth: 180 companies .
Average Number of Plymouth Households Served per Fuel Oil company : 3087

Plymouth Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

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

2237 Plymouth Number Two Heating Oil Companies Go The Distance

With 582,115,838 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Plymouth homes during this past winter, the Plymouth community relies on its 2237 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 Plymouth, two of the closest terminals are Sprague W in Springfield, MA and Buckeye in Springfield, MA. Then, the truck delivers the fuel oil to residences and companies throughout Plymouth and the surrounding vicinity.