Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Knox Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Residences have a variety of fuels that can be used 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 residents is Propane, used by 101,382 homes (16%). The rest of the 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
Fuel oil has become less popular in Knox. In the 10 years since 2015, the number of households using fuel oil decreased from 336,337 to 298,426, a 11% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Knox
Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel grew from 50,511 to 101,382, a 101% change. Comparing 2015 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel grew from 37,624 to 53,178, a 41% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Knox
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Knox. Since 2015, the number of homes heating with electricity ramped up from 35,138 to 92,432, a 163% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Knox
The most eco-friendly heating option is solar. 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, 3,526 homes in Knox are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 484% gain from 2015, when 604 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 number two heating oil use changes annually depending on winter temperatures. As the temperature outside drops, homes’ furnaces need to burn increasing amounts of fuel oil to keep the house warm inside. 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 can drastically impact the cost of home heating.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who can afford 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 households annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and boiler 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 on a budget. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the number two heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. Some of the 2 Knox cash heating oil companies serving Knox include CB Haskell Fuel Company Inc and Boothbay Energy.
Knox Fuel Oil Company Statistics: Number two heating oil Companies Serving Knox: 6 companies .
Average Number of Knox Houses Served per Fuel Oil company : 49738
Knox Heating Oil Delivery Overview
298,426 houses 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 households are reliant on heating 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 Fuel Oil Companies Serving The Community
With 246,945,991 gallons of oil delivered to Knox homeowners last winter, the Knox community relies on its 8 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 Knox, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Newington, NH and Sprague in So. Portland, ME. Then, the truck delivers the number two heating oil to residences and companies throughout Knox and the surrounding area.
