Homes have a choice of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the preferred choice in Worcester, used by 1,473,396 or 52% of homeowners. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Worcester residents is Electricity, used by 610,876 homes (22%). The remaining homes are heated with Heating Oil (20%), Propane (5%), Wood (1%), and Other (1%).

Worcester 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 Worcester

Fuel oil has become losing popularity in Worcester. In the 13 years since 2012, the number of residents using fuel oil fell from 772,641 to 555,640, a 28% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Worcester

Between 2012 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 68,517 to 128,896, a 88% change. Comparing 2012 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel shot up from 1,249,253 to 1,473,396, a 18% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Worcester

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Worcester. Since 2012, the number of homes heating with electricity jumped from 365,060 to 610,876, a 67% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Worcester

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. Today, 9,580 homes in Worcester are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 1867% gain from 2012, when 487 homes incorporated active solar heating.

Worcester County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Worcester County homeowners purchased a total of 118 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Worcester’s overall oil consumption varies from year to year correlating with how cold it gets each winter. As the temperature outside dips, homes’ heating systems need to burn more and more heating oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Worcester was 30.0°F, which was 4.5°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Worcester County Average Winter Temperature

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

Worcester County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Worcester homeowners heating with heating oil, picking which of the 154 heating oil companies that serve Worcester can drastically impact the cost of home heating.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who value a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 1228 “full-service” oil companies that serve Worcester. Full service companies such as Al's Oil Service or RiteWay Heating Cooling & Plumbing Inc offer customers annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and boiler repair. With an automatic fuel oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s number two heating oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The homeowner 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 homeowners who are looking to save money. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when the oil gauge dips below a quarter tank. Examples of 2 Worcester cash heating oil companies serving Worcester include Red Star Oil Co and Superior Oil Co Inc.

Worcester Number Two Heating Oil Company By The Numbers: Oil Companies Serving Worcester: 154 companies .
Average Number of Worcester Homes Served per Fuel Oil company : 3608

Worcester Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

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

2677 Worcester Fuel Oil Companies Go The Distance

With 582,115,838 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Worcester homeowners last winter, the Worcester community looks to its 2677 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. Oil delivery has two parts to it: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of Worcester, 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 Worcester and the surrounding region.

Heating Oil Near You In These Adjacent Counties