Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Penobscot Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Families have a choice of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Heating Oil is the preferred choice in Penobscot, used by 298,426 or 48% of families. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Penobscot homeowners 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%).
Penobscot 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 Penobscot
Oil has become less popular in Penobscot. In the 7 years since 2018, the number of residents using number two heating oil fell from 355,904 to 298,426, a 16% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Penobscot
Between 2018 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 61,194 to 101,382, a 66% change. Comparing 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel ramped up from 44,328 to 53,178, a 20% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Penobscot
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Penobscot. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity jumped from 41,759 to 92,432, a 121% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Penobscot
Out of all fuels, solar is the safest for the environment. 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. Currently, 3,526 homes in Penobscot are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 202% gain from 2018, when 1,169 homes incorporated active solar heating.
Penobscot County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Penobscot County homeowners purchased a total of 21 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Penobscot’s overall oil usage fluctuates annually as winter conditions change. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ furnaces need to burn more and more fuel oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Penobscot was 24.4°F, which was 4.2°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Penobscot County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 24.4° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 28.6° F |
Penobscot County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Penobscot families heating with heating oil, selecting which of the 19 heating oil companies that serve Penobscot makes a big difference.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who can afford a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select one of the 1 “full-service” oil companies that serve Penobscot. Full service companies such as Gary's Fuel Oil Co Inc or offer households annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and heating system 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 household 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 clients 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 the oil gauge dips below a quarter tank. Some of the 2 Penobscot cash heating oil companies serving Penobscot include RH Foster Energy and Valley Home Heating LLC.
Penobscot Oil Company By The Numbers: Fuel oil Companies Serving Penobscot: 19 companies .
Average Number of Penobscot Houses Served per Fuel Oil company : 15707
Penobscot Heating Oil Delivery Overview
298,426 households in Penobscot heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Penobscot temperatures drop as low as 17.7° F each winter. 47.8% of Penobscot homes depend on heating oil delivery each winter.
23.9% of Penobscot County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Penobscot County Households | Penobscot County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 1.2M | 298,426 |
237 Penobscot Heating Oil Companies Go The Distance
With 246,945,991 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Penobscot houses during this past winter, the Penobscot community relies on its 237 oil companies when temperatures dip. Oil delivery has two parts to it: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of Penobscot, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Newington, NH and Sprague in So. Portland, ME. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to residences and companies throughout Penobscot and the surrounding region.
