Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Oxford Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Residences have a choice of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Heating Oil is the most popular choice in Oxford, used by 298,426 or 48% of households. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Oxford residents is Propane, used by 101,382 homes (16%). The remaining homes are heated with Electricity (15%), Wood (10%), Natural Gas (9%), and Other (2%).
Oxford 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 Oxford
Heating oil has become losing popularity in Oxford. In the 11 years since 2014, the number of homeowners using heating oil declined from 342,185 to 298,426, a 13% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Oxford
Between 2014 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel grew from 48,027 to 101,382, a 111% change. Comparing 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 37,608 to 53,178, a 41% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Oxford
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Oxford. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 28,040 to 92,432, a 230% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Oxford
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 Oxford are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 682% gain from 2014, when 451 homes incorporated active solar heating.
Oxford County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Oxford County homeowners purchased a total of 7 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Oxford’s overall number two heating oil use changes yearly as winter conditions change. As the temperature outside dips, homes’ furnaces need to burn more and more oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Oxford was 24.4°F, which was 4.2°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Oxford County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 24.4° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 28.6° F |
Oxford County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Oxford families heating with heating oil, choosing which of the 16 heating oil companies that serve Oxford makes a big difference.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who value a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 4 “full-service” oil companies that serve Oxford. Full service companies such as Ness Oil Company or Mainely Heating Oil offer families annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic oil delivery and heating system repair. With an automatic fuel oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s 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 clients who are on a budget. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the fuel oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order either when the level runs low or just before a major snowstorm. A few of the 2 Oxford cash heating oil companies serving Oxford include C N Brown Co and CN Brown Energy.
Oxford Number Two Heating Oil Company Fast Facts: Heating oil Companies Serving Oxford: 16 companies .
Average Number of Oxford Houses Served per Fuel Oil company : 18652
Oxford Heating Oil Delivery Overview
298,426 households in Oxford heat their homes with number two heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Oxford temperatures drop as low as 17.7° F each winter. 47.8% of Oxford homes are reliant on heating oil delivery each winter.
23.9% of Oxford County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Oxford County Households | Oxford County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 1.2M | 298,426 |
92 Oxford Heating Oil Companies Go The Distance
With 246,945,991 gallons of heating oil delivered to Oxford houses during this past winter, the Oxford community relies on its 92 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 Oxford, 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 Oxford and the surrounding region.
