Households have a choice of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Heating Oil is the most popular choice in Hillsborough, used by 212,831 or 37% of homeowners. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Hillsborough residents is Natural Gas, used by 124,974 homes (22%). The other homes are heated with Propane (21%), Electricity (12%), Wood (6%), and Other (2%).

Hillsborough County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (No. of Households)

Year	Natural Gas	Propane	Electricity	Oil	Wood	Solar	Other
2025	124,974	121,512	70,926	212,831	32,268	2,474	11,835
2024	126,691	116,162	68,090	211,416	29,746	2,147	11,751
2023	118,533	112,909	64,436	221,554	35,424	1,544	10,170
2022	121,267	103,967	61,455	223,612	30,964	909	10,992
2021	121,966	102,208	58,765	218,724	30,381	890	10,002
2020	118,607	98,116	56,313	223,224	32,446	761	9,755
2019	115,248	94,024	53,861	227,725	34,512	632	9,508
2018	113,986	86,695	50,260	232,152	35,632	411	8,224
2017	111,070	90,341	47,927	227,681	37,912	575	8,850
2016	110,428	81,949	48,677	229,187	35,047	666	9,880
2015	103,292	78,670	46,002	232,674	42,472	488	10,268
2014	100,601	76,212	46,268	230,361	49,555	275	10,068
2013	101,529	76,485	42,038	239,542	44,711	334	9,251
2012	104,858	72,091	39,257	245,324	43,948	593	7,870
2011	100,958	74,416	40,613	252,159	37,084	280	7,019
2010	100,857	70,863	41,909	253,772	40,272	85	4,752

Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Hillsborough

Heating oil has become less popular in Hillsborough. In the 10 years since 2015, the number of families using fuel oil dipped from 232,674 to 212,831, a 9% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Hillsborough

Between 2015 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel increased from 78,670 to 121,512, a 54% change. Comparing 2015 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel increased from 103,292 to 124,974, a 21% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Hillsborough

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Hillsborough. Since 2015, the number of homes heating with electricity jumped from 46,002 to 70,926, a 54% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Hillsborough

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, 2,474 homes in Hillsborough are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 407% gain from 2015, when 488 homes utilized active solar heating.

Hillsborough County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Hillsborough County homeowners purchased a total of 43 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Hillsborough’s overall number two heating oil usage fluctuates each year based on the severity of the winter. As the temperature outside dips, homes’ HVAC systems need to burn more and more number two heating oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Hillsborough was 24.1°F, which was 5.3°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Hillsborough County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
2024 - 2025	24.1° F
2023 - 2024	29.4° F

Hillsborough County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Hillsborough homeowners heating with number two heating oil, picking which of the 54 heating oil companies that serve Hillsborough can drastically impact the cost of home heating.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who want a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 56 “full-service” oil companies that serve Hillsborough. Full service companies such as Absco Heating or NRG Fuel LLC offer customers annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic oil delivery and boiler repair. With an automatic oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s 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: Often called “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for households who are on a budget. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order either when the level runs low or just before a major snowstorm. A few of the 2 Hillsborough cash heating oil companies serving Hillsborough include Lemay Oil Services and McLaughlin Oil.

Hillsborough Oil Company Statistics: Number two heating oil Companies Serving Hillsborough: 54 companies .
Average Number of Hillsborough Households Served per Fuel Oil company : 3941

Hillsborough Heating Oil Delivery Overview

212,831 homes in Hillsborough heat their homes with number two heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Hillsborough temperatures drop as low as 16.9° F each winter. 36.9% of Hillsborough homes depend on heating oil delivery each winter.

18.4% of Hillsborough County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Hillsborough County Households	Hillsborough County Heating Oil Households
1.1M	212,831

441 Hillsborough Oil Companies Homeowners Can Count On

With 199,461,865 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Hillsborough families last winter, the Hillsborough community relies on its 441 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 Hillsborough, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Newington, NH and Gulf in Chelsea, MA. Then, the truck delivers the number two heating oil to residences and companies throughout Hillsborough and the surrounding vicinity.

Heating Oil Near You In These Adjacent Counties

Rockingham County, NH

Strafford County, NH

Sullivan County, NH