Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Oxford Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Homes have a choice of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Heating Oil is the most common choice in Oxford, used by 298,426 or 48% of homeowners. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Oxford 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%).
Oxford 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 Oxford
Number two heating oil has become less frequently used in Oxford. In the 12 years since 2013, the number of homeowners using fuel oil fell from 351,842 to 298,426, a 15% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Oxford
Between 2013 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel increased from 45,601 to 101,382, a 122% change. Comparing 2013 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel shot up from 31,836 to 53,178, a 67% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Oxford
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are gaining popularity in Oxford. Since 2013, the number of homes heating with electricity grew from 28,747 to 92,432, a 222% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Oxford
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. As it stands today, 3,526 homes in Oxford are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 626% gain from 2013, when 486 homes used 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 fuel oil usage changes from year to year depending on winter temperatures. As the temperature outside drops, homes’ furnaces need to burn increasing amounts of number two heating oil to keep the house warm inside. 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 residences heating with number two heating oil, picking which of the 16 heating oil companies that serve Oxford makes a big difference.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who prefer a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select 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 heating oil delivery and boiler 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 client 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 households who are looking to save money. 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 Oxford cash heating oil companies serving Oxford include C N Brown Co and CN Brown Energy.
Oxford Number Two Heating Oil Company Statistics: Oil Companies Serving Oxford: 16 companies .
Average Number of Oxford Households Served per Fuel Oil company : 18652
Oxford Heating Oil Delivery Overview
298,426 homes in Oxford heat their homes with heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Oxford temperatures drop as low as 17.7° F each winter. 47.8% of Oxford houses rely on fuel 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 Fuel Oil Companies You Can Bank On
With 246,945,991 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Oxford households last winter, the Oxford community relies on its 92 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. 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 fuel oil to residences and companies throughout Oxford and the surrounding vicinity.
