Residences have a variety of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Heating Oil is the most popular 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 rest of the homes are heated with Propane (21%), Electricity (12%), Wood (6%), and Other (2%).

Strafford 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 Strafford

Number two heating oil has become losing popularity in Strafford. In the 7 years since 2018, the number of households using heating oil declined from 232,152 to 212,831, a 8% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Strafford

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel increased from 86,695 to 121,512, a 40% change. Comparing 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 113,986 to 124,974, a 10% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Strafford

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Strafford. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity ramped up from 50,260 to 70,926, a 41% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Strafford

The most eco-friendly heating option is solar. 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, 2,474 homes in Strafford are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 502% gain from 2018, when 411 homes incorporated 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 heating oil usage changes each year based on the severity of the winter. As the temperature outside gets more chilly, homes’ boilers need to burn additional fuel 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 homeowners 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 can afford a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 4 “full-service” oil companies that serve Strafford. Full service companies such as NiBROC Oil or NiBROC Oil offer clients 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 fuel oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The client 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 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. Some of the 2 Strafford cash heating oil companies serving Strafford include Eastern and Local Pride Heating Oil.

Strafford Number Two Heating Oil Company Fast Facts: Oil Companies Serving Strafford: 23 companies .
Average Number of Strafford Homes Served per Fuel Oil company : 9254

Strafford Heating Oil Delivery Overview

212,831 families in Strafford heat their homes with number two heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Strafford temperatures drop as low as 16.9° F each winter. 36.9% of Strafford families are reliant 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 Heating Oil Companies Homeowners Can Count On

With 199,461,865 gallons of heating oil delivered to Strafford homes the last heating season, 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 fuel oil to homes and businesses throughout Strafford and the surrounding area.

Heating Oil Near You In These Adjacent Counties

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