Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Somerset Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Families have a variety of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Heating Oil is the preferred choice in Somerset, used by 298,426 or 48% of homeowners. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Somerset residents 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%).
Somerset 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 Somerset
Number two heating oil has become less popular in Somerset. In the 13 years since 2012, the number of families using heating oil decreased from 374,110 to 298,426, a 20% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Somerset
Between 2012 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel grew from 41,477 to 101,382, a 144% change. Comparing 2012 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 28,621 to 53,178, a 86% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Somerset
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are increasing in demand in Somerset. Since 2012, the number of homes heating with electricity jumped from 23,260 to 92,432, a 297% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Somerset
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. Currently, 3,526 homes in Somerset are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 455% gain from 2012, when 635 homes had active solar heating.
Somerset County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Somerset County homeowners purchased a total of 6 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Somerset’s overall fuel oil usage varies each year as winter conditions change. As the temperature outside dips, homes’ HVAC systems need to burn additional fuel oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Somerset was 24.4°F, which was 4.2°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Somerset County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 24.4° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 28.6° F |
Somerset County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Somerset residences heating with heating oil, selecting which of the 13 heating oil companies that serve Somerset makes a big difference.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who want a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 11 “full-service” oil companies that serve Somerset. Full service companies such as Bobs Cash Fuel or Bobs Cash Fuel offer homeowners annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and furnace repair. With an automatic heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s fuel 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 known by the names “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for homeowners who are looking to save money. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order either when the level runs low or just before a major snowstorm. Some of the 2 Somerset cash heating oil companies serving Somerset include Valley Gas and Oil Company and Twitchell Fuel co.
Somerset Oil Company Statistics: Fuel oil Companies Serving Somerset: 13 companies .
Average Number of Somerset Households Served per Fuel Oil company : 22956
Somerset Heating Oil Delivery Overview
298,426 households in Somerset heat their homes with heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Somerset temperatures drop as low as 17.7° F each winter. 47.8% of Somerset residences rely on heating oil delivery each winter.
23.9% of Somerset County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Somerset County Households | Somerset County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 1.2M | 298,426 |
45 Somerset Number Two Heating Oil Companies You Can Trust
With 246,945,991 gallons of heating oil delivered to Somerset residences last winter, the Somerset community looks to its 45 oil companies when temperatures dip. 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 Somerset, 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 Somerset and the surrounding region.
