Households have a choice of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Heating Oil is the preferred choice in Lincoln, used by 298,426 or 48% of residents. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Lincoln families 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%).

Lincoln 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 Lincoln

Number two heating oil has become less popular in Lincoln. In the 4 years since 2021, the number of residents using oil dropped from 345,133 to 298,426, a 14% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Lincoln

Between 2021 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 78,322 to 101,382, a 29% change. Comparing 2021 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 47,952 to 53,178, a 11% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Lincoln

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are gaining popularity in Lincoln. Since 2021, the number of homes heating with electricity ramped up from 61,019 to 92,432, a 51% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Lincoln

Out of all fuels, solar is the safest for the environment. 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 Lincoln are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 157% gain from 2021, when 1,374 homes used active solar heating.

Lincoln County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Lincoln County homeowners purchased a total of 7 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Lincoln’s overall oil consumption changes each year as winter conditions change. As the temperature outside gets more chilly, homes’ heating systems need to burn more and more oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Lincoln was 24.4°F, which was 4.2°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Lincoln County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
2024 - 2025	24.4° F
2023 - 2024	28.6° F

Lincoln County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Lincoln residences heating with heating oil, picking which of the 15 heating oil companies that serve Lincoln makes a big difference.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who are willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 5 “full-service” oil companies that serve Lincoln. Full service companies such as MA Haskell Fuel Company LLC or Maritime Energy 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 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 homeowners who are budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. A few of the 2 Lincoln cash heating oil companies serving Lincoln include Boothbay Energy and Carter's Propane Service.

Lincoln Oil Company By The Numbers: Number two heating oil Companies Serving Lincoln: 15 companies .
Average Number of Lincoln Households Served per Heating Oil company : 19895

Lincoln Heating Oil Delivery Overview

298,426 families in Lincoln heat their homes with heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Lincoln temperatures drop as low as 17.7° F each winter. 47.8% of Lincoln houses rely on number two heating oil delivery each winter.

23.9% of Lincoln County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Lincoln County Households	Lincoln County Heating Oil Households
1.2M	298,426

152 Lincoln Oil Companies You Can Trust

With 246,945,991 gallons of oil delivered to Lincoln houses the last heating season, the Lincoln community depends on its 152 oil companies when temperatures dip. 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 Lincoln, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Newington, NH and Sprague in So. Portland, ME. Then, the truck delivers the fuel oil to homes and businesses throughout Lincoln and the surrounding area.

Heating Oil Near You In These Adjacent Counties

Androscoggin County, ME

Cumberland County, ME