Date	Average Oil Price
11/21/2024	$3.329
11/20/2024	$3.329
11/19/2024	$3.329
11/18/2024	$3.329
11/17/2024	$3.329
11/16/2024	$3.329
11/15/2024	$3.329
11/14/2024	$3.329
11/13/2024	$3.329
11/12/2024	$3.329
11/11/2024	$3.329
11/10/2024	$3.329
11/09/2024	$3.329
11/08/2024	$3.597
11/07/2024	$3.597
11/06/2024	$3.597
11/05/2024	$3.597
11/04/2024	$3.597
11/03/2024	$3.597
11/02/2024	$3.597
11/01/2024	$3.597
10/31/2024	$3.597
10/30/2024	$3.597
10/29/2024	$3.597
10/28/2024	$3.597
10/27/2024	$3.597
10/26/2024	$3.597
10/25/2024	$3.597
10/24/2024	$3.597
10/23/2024	$3.597

Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Belknap County Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Heating oil is the most popular choice in Belknap County, used by 224,725 or 41.34% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Belknap County homeowners is natural gas, used by 117,536 homes (21.62%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (100,624), electricity (57,780), wood (35,074), and other fuels (16,939).

Belknap County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Belknap County Households	% of Households
Heating Oil	224,725	41.3%
Natural Gas	117,536	21.6%
Propane	100,624	18.5%
Electricity	57,780	10.6%
Wood	35,074	6.5%
Other Fuels	10,355	1.9%
No Fuel	5,272	1.0%
Solar	690	0.1%
Coal	622	0.1%

Heating oil (41.3%)

Natural gas (21.6%)

Propane (18.5%)

Electricity (10.6%)

Wood (6.5%)

Other fuels (1.9%)

No fuel (1.0%)

Solar (0.1%)

Coal (0.1%)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Belknap County

Heating oil has become less popular in Belknap County. In the 5 years since 2017, the number of heating oil homes fell from 234,647 to 224,725, a 4.23% drop.

Belknap County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	262,755
2012	257,827
2013	251,497
2014	245,025
2015	241,293
2016	236,690
2017	234,647
2018	233,209
2019	233,052
2020	232,901
2021	228,197
2022	224,725

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Belknap County

Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 81,345 to 100,624.

Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 106,031 to 117,536.

Electricity use for home heating in Belknap County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Belknap County. Since 2017, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 46,494 to 57,780, a 24.27% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Belknap County

Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all space 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 in the basement.

Currently, 690 homes in Belknap County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 32.18% increase from 2017, when only 522 homes had installed active solar heating.

Belknap County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Belknap County homeowners purchased a total of 12 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Belknap County’s overall heating oil use varies from year to year, primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ heating systems need to burn more and more oil to keep homes warm. Last winter in Belknap County, the average outside temperature was 3.3° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Belknap County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2023 - 2024	28.7° F
Winter 2022 - 2023	25.4° F

Belknap County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Belknap County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 20 heating oil companies that serve Belknap County is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 16 “full-service” oil companies that serve Belknap County. Full service companies such as Dutile & Sons Oil Company Inc or Dutile & Sons Oil Company Inc offer automatic fuel delivery and furnace repair under a single roof.

Discount Oil Companies: Also known by the names “COD Fuel Companies” or “Cash Heating Oil Companies”, these companies are for the budget-conscious Belknap County homeowner. In return for better prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank and place an order when you run low on oil. Examples of cash heating oil companies that serve Belknap County include Foley Oil & Propane and Foley Oil Company Inc.

Belknap County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Belknap County: 20 companies

Average Number Of Belknap County Homes Served Per Company: 703 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Belknap County Oil Company: 624,591 gallons per year

Belknap County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

Approximately 14,074 households in Belknap County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Belknap County temperatures drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

51% of Belknap County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Belknap County Households	Belknap County Heating Oil Households
27,525	14,074

124 Belknap County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 12 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Belknap County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Belknap County community relies on its 124 oil companies to keep warm.

Oil delivery is a two step process: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal. In the case of Belknap County, 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 in Belknap County.