Date	Average Oil Price
11/21/2024	$3.400
11/20/2024	$3.400
11/19/2024	$3.400
11/18/2024	$3.400
11/17/2024	$3.400
11/16/2024	$3.400
11/15/2024	$3.400
11/14/2024	$3.400
11/13/2024	$3.395
11/12/2024	$3.395
11/11/2024	$3.395
11/10/2024	$3.395
11/09/2024	$3.395
11/08/2024	$3.517
11/07/2024	$3.517
11/06/2024	$3.517
11/05/2024	$3.517
11/04/2024	$3.517
11/03/2024	$3.517
11/02/2024	$3.517
11/01/2024	$3.517
10/31/2024	$3.517
10/30/2024	$3.517
10/29/2024	$3.517
10/28/2024	$3.517
10/27/2024	$3.517
10/26/2024	$3.517
10/25/2024	$3.517
10/24/2024	$3.517
10/23/2024	$3.517

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

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Heating oil is the most popular choice in Merrimack County, used by 224,725 or 41.34% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Merrimack 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).

Merrimack County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Merrimack 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 Merrimack County

Heating oil has become less popular in Merrimack County. In the 11 years since 2011, the number of heating oil homes fell from 262,755 to 224,725, a 14.47% drop.

Merrimack 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 Merrimack County

Between 2011 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 68,195 to 100,624.

Between 2011 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 101,825 to 117,536.

Electricity use for home heating in Merrimack County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Merrimack County. Since 2011, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 39,699 to 57,780, a 45.55% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 345.16% increase from 2011, when only 155 homes had installed active solar heating.

Merrimack County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Merrimack County homeowners purchased a total of 18 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Merrimack 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 Merrimack County, the average outside temperature was 3.3° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Merrimack County Average Winter Temperature

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

Merrimack County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Merrimack County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 35 heating oil companies that serve Merrimack 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 14 “full-service” oil companies that serve Merrimack County. Full service companies such as Goodrich Oil & Propane Co or Goodrich Oil & Propane Co 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 Merrimack 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 Merrimack County include Huckleberry Propane & Oil Llc and Clough Inc H R.

Merrimack County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Merrimack County: 35 companies

Average Number Of Merrimack County Homes Served Per Company: 578 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Merrimack County Oil Company: 513,225 gallons per year

Merrimack County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

Approximately 20,238 households in Merrimack County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Merrimack County temperatures drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

35% of Merrimack County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Merrimack County Households	Merrimack County Heating Oil Households
56,519	20,238

233 Merrimack County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 18 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Merrimack County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Merrimack County community relies on its 233 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 Merrimack 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 Merrimack County.