Residences have a variety of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in Suffolk, used by 1,473,396 or 52% of families. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Suffolk 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%).

Suffolk 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 Suffolk

Number two heating oil has become less popular in Suffolk. In the 7 years since 2018, the number of homeowners using heating oil decreased from 657,583 to 555,640, a 16% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Suffolk

Between 2018 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel shot up from 92,227 to 128,896, a 40% change. Comparing 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 1,374,460 to 1,473,396, a 7% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Suffolk

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are gaining popularity in Suffolk. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity grew from 434,646 to 610,876, a 41% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Suffolk

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. Currently, 9,580 homes in Suffolk are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 211% gain from 2018, when 3,078 homes incorporated active solar heating.

Suffolk County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Suffolk County homeowners purchased a total of 22 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Suffolk’s overall heating oil use varies yearly as winter conditions change. As the temperature outside dips, homes’ HVAC systems need to burn increasing amounts of oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Suffolk was 30.0°F, which was 4.5°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Suffolk County Average Winter Temperature

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

Suffolk County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Suffolk homes heating with oil, selecting which of the 197 heating oil companies that serve Suffolk makes a big difference.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who value a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 1499 “full-service” oil companies that serve Suffolk. Full service companies such as Firemans Fuel or Keohan Fuels & Transportation Inc offer households annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic oil delivery and furnace repair. With an automatic number two heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s fuel 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 clients who are looking to save money. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the fuel oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order either when the level runs low or just before a major snowstorm. Some of the 2 Suffolk cash heating oil companies serving Suffolk include Hingham Oil and Ranco Enterpises.

Suffolk Fuel Oil Company Statistics: Number two heating oil Companies Serving Suffolk: 197 companies .
Average Number of Suffolk Homes Served per Fuel Oil company : 2821

Suffolk Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

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

2989 Suffolk Fuel Oil Companies Homeowners Can Count On

With 582,115,838 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Suffolk households during this past winter, the Suffolk community looks to its 2989 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 Suffolk, two of the closest terminals are Sprague W in Springfield, MA and Buckeye in Springfield, MA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses throughout Suffolk and the surrounding region.

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