Residences have a variety of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Heating Oil is the most common choice in Penobscot, used by 298,426 or 48% of families. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Penobscot households is Propane, used by 101,382 homes (16%). The remaining 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

Number two heating oil has become less popular in Penobscot. In the 8 years since 2017, the number of households using number two heating oil dropped from 331,541 to 298,426, a 10% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Penobscot

Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 61,816 to 101,382, a 64% change. Comparing 2017 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 41,841 to 53,178, a 27% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Penobscot

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are increasing in demand in Penobscot. Since 2017, the number of homes heating with electricity increased from 36,406 to 92,432, a 154% 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. As it stands today, 3,526 homes in Penobscot are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 187% gain from 2017, when 1,228 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 use fluctuates annually correlating with how cold it gets each winter. As the temperature outside dips, homes’ boilers 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 households heating with oil, selecting which of the 19 heating oil companies that serve Penobscot can drastically impact the cost of home heating.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who prefer 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 customers annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic oil delivery and HVAC repair. With an automatic fuel oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s heating oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The family 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 households who are budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. Some of the 2 Penobscot cash heating oil companies serving Penobscot include RH Foster Energy and Valley Home Heating LLC.

Penobscot Oil Company Fast Facts: Heating oil Companies Serving Penobscot: 19 companies .
Average Number of Penobscot Homes Served per Heating Oil company : 15707

Penobscot Heating Oil Delivery Overview

298,426 residences in Penobscot heat their homes with number two heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Penobscot temperatures drop as low as 17.7° F each winter. 47.8% of Penobscot residences rely on fuel 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 Number Two Heating Oil Companies Serving The Community

With 246,945,991 gallons of heating oil delivered to Penobscot homes the last heating season, the Penobscot community relies on its 237 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. 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 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 homes and businesses throughout Penobscot and the surrounding vicinity.

Heating Oil Near You In These Adjacent Counties

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