Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Aroostook Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Families have a variety of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Heating Oil is the most common choice in Aroostook, used by 298,426 or 48% of residents. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Aroostook residents is Propane, used by 101,382 homes (16%). The other homes are heated with Electricity (15%), Wood (10%), Natural Gas (9%), and Other (2%).
Aroostook County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (No. of Households)
| Year | Natural Gas | Propane | Electricity | Oil | Wood | Solar | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 53,178 | 101,382 | 92,432 | 298,426 | 65,496 | 3,526 | 9,422 |
| 2024 | 51,248 | 98,171 | 83,361 | 309,159 | 59,610 | 3,144 | 8,226 |
| 2023 | 51,811 | 84,744 | 79,160 | 323,666 | 57,999 | 2,137 | 12,767 |
| 2022 | 48,991 | 84,304 | 63,901 | 339,456 | 51,998 | 1,704 | 11,224 |
| 2021 | 47,952 | 78,322 | 61,019 | 345,133 | 46,227 | 1,374 | 10,375 |
| 2020 | 46,351 | 73,782 | 54,514 | 345,001 | 50,077 | 1,210 | 9,402 |
| 2019 | 44,750 | 69,241 | 48,008 | 344,869 | 53,927 | 1,047 | 8,428 |
| 2018 | 44,328 | 61,194 | 41,759 | 355,904 | 54,843 | 1,169 | 8,683 |
| 2017 | 41,841 | 61,816 | 36,406 | 331,541 | 54,454 | 1,228 | 10,328 |
| 2016 | 41,879 | 52,621 | 33,543 | 333,900 | 55,290 | 312 | 11,584 |
| 2015 | 37,624 | 50,511 | 35,138 | 336,337 | 70,767 | 604 | 11,270 |
| 2014 | 37,608 | 48,027 | 28,040 | 342,185 | 78,214 | 451 | 11,692 |
| 2013 | 31,836 | 45,601 | 28,747 | 351,842 | 76,707 | 486 | 9,827 |
| 2012 | 28,621 | 41,477 | 23,260 | 374,110 | 76,225 | 635 | 6,995 |
| 2011 | 27,427 | 42,224 | 24,723 | 379,409 | 68,055 | 307 | 6,480 |
| 2010 | 23,135 | 36,617 | 27,813 | 384,021 | 65,520 | 446 | 5,177 |
Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Aroostook
Heating oil has become less frequently used in Aroostook. In the 6 years since 2019, the number of families using fuel oil decreased from 344,869 to 298,426, a 13% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Aroostook
Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel ramped up from 69,241 to 101,382, a 46% change. Comparing 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel increased from 44,750 to 53,178, a 19% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Aroostook
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Aroostook. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity jumped from 48,008 to 92,432, a 93% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Aroostook
Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all heating fuels. 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, 3,526 homes in Aroostook are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 237% gain from 2019, when 1,047 homes utilized active solar heating.
Aroostook County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Aroostook County homeowners purchased a total of 3 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Aroostook’s overall heating oil usage varies yearly correlating with how cold it gets each winter. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ boilers need to burn additional heating oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Aroostook was 24.4°F, which was 4.2°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Aroostook County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 24.4° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 28.6° F |
Aroostook County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Aroostook homes heating with fuel oil, choosing which of the 5 heating oil companies that serve Aroostook plays a big role in determining how much money is spent on heating each winter.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who prefer a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 7 “full-service” oil companies that serve Aroostook. Full service companies such as Daigle Oil Company or Daigle Oil Company offer families annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic number two heating oil delivery and furnace 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 customer 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 households who are on a budget. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the number two heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when the oil gauge dips below a quarter tank. Examples of 2 Aroostook cash heating oil companies serving Aroostook include DOC Daigle co and Dead River Company Llc.
Aroostook Fuel Oil Company Fast Facts: Number two heating oil Companies Serving Aroostook: 5 companies .
Average Number of Aroostook Houses Served per Heating Oil company : 59685
Aroostook Heating Oil Delivery Overview
298,426 households in Aroostook heat their homes with number two heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Aroostook temperatures drop as low as 17.7° F each winter. 47.8% of Aroostook families rely on heating oil delivery each winter.
23.9% of Aroostook County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Aroostook County Households | Aroostook County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 1.2M | 298,426 |
23 Aroostook Number Two Heating Oil Companies You Can Trust
With 246,945,991 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Aroostook homeowners the last heating season, the Aroostook community looks to its 23 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. 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 Aroostook, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Newington, NH and Sprague in So. Portland, ME. Then, the truck delivers the oil to residences and companies throughout Aroostook and the surrounding area.
