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

Strafford County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (in Number 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 Strafford

Number two heating oil has become decreasing in demand in Strafford. In the 9 years since 2016, the number of homeowners using oil dipped from 229,187 to 212,831, a 7% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Strafford

Between 2016 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel shot up from 81,949 to 121,512, a 48% change. Comparing 2016 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 110,428 to 124,974, a 13% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Strafford

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more prevalent in Strafford. Since 2016, the number of homes heating with electricity grew from 48,677 to 70,926, a 46% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Strafford

The most eco-friendly heating option is solar. 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. Today, 2,474 homes in Strafford are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 271% gain from 2016, when 666 homes utilized active solar heating.

Strafford County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Strafford County homeowners purchased a total of 20 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Strafford’s overall oil usage changes yearly primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside drops, 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 Strafford was 24.1°F, which was 5.3°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Strafford County Average Winter Temperature

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

Strafford County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Strafford residences heating with number two heating oil, choosing which of the 23 heating oil companies that serve Strafford can drastically impact the cost of home heating.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who are willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 4 “full-service” oil companies that serve Strafford. Full service companies such as NiBROC Oil or NiBROC Oil offer households annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and heating system repair. With an automatic fuel oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s number two heating oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The customer 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 budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. Examples of 2 Strafford cash heating oil companies serving Strafford include Eastern and Local Pride Heating Oil.

Strafford Number Two Heating Oil Company Statistics: Fuel oil Companies Serving Strafford: 23 companies .
Average Number of Strafford Houses Served per Number Two Heating Oil company : 9254

Strafford Heating Oil Delivery Overview

212,831 households in Strafford heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Strafford temperatures drop as low as 16.9° F each winter. 36.9% of Strafford families rely on heating oil delivery each winter.

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

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

168 Strafford Oil Companies Serving The Community

With 199,461,865 gallons of heating oil delivered to Strafford residences last winter, the Strafford community relies on its 168 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. Oil delivery can be summed up in two steps: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of Strafford, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Newington, NH and Gulf in Chelsea, MA. Then, the truck delivers the oil to residences and companies throughout Strafford and the surrounding area.

Heating Oil Near You In These Adjacent Counties

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