Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Knox 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 Knox, used by 298,426 or 48% of households. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Knox homeowners is Propane, used by 101,382 homes (16%). The remaining homes are heated with Electricity (15%), Wood (10%), Natural Gas (9%), and Other (2%).
Knox County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (in Number 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 Knox
Heating oil has become less popular in Knox. In the 9 years since 2016, the number of homeowners using oil fell from 333,900 to 298,426, a 11% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Knox
Between 2016 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel grew from 52,621 to 101,382, a 93% change. Comparing 2016 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 41,879 to 53,178, a 27% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Knox
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more prevalent in Knox. Since 2016, the number of homes heating with electricity increased from 33,543 to 92,432, a 176% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Knox
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. Now, 3,526 homes in Knox are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 1030% gain from 2016, when 312 homes incorporated active solar heating.
Knox County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Knox County homeowners purchased a total of 2 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Knox’s overall oil consumption changes 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 Knox was 24.4°F, which was 4.2°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Knox County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 24.4° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 28.6° F |
Knox County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Knox homes heating with oil, choosing which of the 6 heating oil companies that serve Knox is an important decision.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who value a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 5 “full-service” oil companies that serve Knox. Full service companies such as Maritime Energy or MA Haskell Fuel Company LLC offer families annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic number two heating oil delivery and furnace repair. With an automatic 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 budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when the oil gauge dips below a quarter tank. A few of the 2 Knox cash heating oil companies serving Knox include CB Haskell Fuel Company Inc and Boothbay Energy.
Knox Oil Company Statistics: Oil Companies Serving Knox: 6 companies .
Average Number of Knox Houses Served per Heating Oil company : 49738
Knox Heating Oil Delivery Overview
298,426 residences in Knox heat their homes with oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Knox temperatures drop as low as 17.7° F each winter. 47.8% of Knox houses are reliant on oil delivery each winter.
23.9% of Knox County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Knox County Households | Knox County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 1.2M | 298,426 |
8 Knox Heating Oil Companies You Can Trust
With 246,945,991 gallons of heating oil delivered to Knox homes during this past winter, the Knox community relies on its 8 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 Knox, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Newington, NH and Sprague in So. Portland, ME. Then, the truck delivers the fuel oil to residences and companies throughout Knox and the surrounding region.
