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Cities In Southern Maine with Local Oil Prices

Southern Maine Heating Oil Price Trends

Updated Today at 12:00 AM

Time HorizonPrice Change
1 Week Trend+$0.002
1 Month Trend+$0.106
1 Year Trend-$0.134

Southern Maine Heating Oil Price History

Updated Today at 12:00 AM

DateAverage Oil Price
12/21/2024$2.970
12/20/2024$2.970
12/19/2024$2.970
12/18/2024$2.960
12/17/2024$2.960
12/16/2024$2.970
12/15/2024$2.960
12/14/2024$2.960
12/13/2024$2.960
12/12/2024$2.960
12/11/2024$2.920
12/10/2024$2.890
12/09/2024$2.880
12/08/2024$2.870
12/07/2024$2.870
12/06/2024$2.870
12/05/2024$2.860
12/04/2024$2.850
12/03/2024$2.860
12/02/2024$2.860
12/01/2024$2.860
11/30/2024$2.860
11/29/2024$2.860
11/28/2024$2.850
11/27/2024$2.850
11/26/2024$2.850
11/25/2024$2.860
11/24/2024$2.860
11/23/2024$2.860
11/22/2024$2.860

Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Southern Maine Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Heating oil is the most popular choice in Southern Maine, used by 167,298 or 58.18% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Southern Maine homeowners is propane, used by 37,433 homes (13.02%). The remaining homes are heated with natural gas (35,237), electricity (27,239), wood (16,273), and other fuels (8,182).

Southern Maine Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

FuelSouthern Maine Households % of Households
Heating Oil167,29858.2%
Propane37,43313.0%
Natural Gas35,23712.3%
Electricity27,2399.5%
Wood16,2735.7%
Other Fuels5,6772.0%
No Fuel1,4180.5%
Solar8290.3%
Coal2580.1%

Heating oil (58.2%)

Propane (13.0%)

Natural gas (12.3%)

Electricity (9.5%)

Wood (5.7%)

Other fuels (2.0%)

No fuel (0.5%)

Solar (0.3%)

Coal (0.1%)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Southern Maine

Heating oil has become less popular in Southern Maine. In the 9 years since 2013, the number of heating oil homes fell from 180,656 to 167,298, a 7.39% drop.

Southern Maine Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

YearHeating Oil Households
2011189,578
2012185,709
2013180,656
2014176,181
2015172,110
2016168,673
2017166,348
2018165,495
2019164,647
2020166,755
2021166,603
2022167,298

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Southern Maine

Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 21,125 to 37,433.

Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 23,632 to 35,237.

Electricity use for home heating in Southern Maine

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Southern Maine. Since 2013, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 13,441 to 27,239, a 102.66% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Southern Maine

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, 829 homes in Southern Maine are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 263.60% increase from 2013, when only 228 homes had installed active solar heating.

Southern Maine Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Southern Maine homeowners purchased a total of 247 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Southern Maine’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 Southern Maine, the average outside temperature was 4.5° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Southern Maine Average Winter Temperature

Heating SeasonAverage Temperature
2024 - 202535.3° F
2023 - 202430.8° F

Southern Maine Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Southern Maine homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 88 heating oil companies that serve Southern Maine 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 13 “full-service” oil companies that serve Southern Maine. Full service companies such as Heatable or Heatable 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 Southern Maine 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 Southern Maine include Welch Oil Llc and Garthwaite Energy Inc.

Southern Maine Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Southern Maine: 88 companies

Average Number Of Southern Maine Homes Served Per Company: 1,901 homes

Southern Maine Heating Oil Delivery Overview

Approximately 2,069,613 households in Southern Maine heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Southern Maine temperatures drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

63% of Southern Maine Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Southern Maine HouseholdsSouthern Maine Heating Oil Households
3.2M2.0M

88 Southern Maine Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 247 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Southern Maine homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Southern Maine community relies on its 88 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 Southern Maine, two of the closest terminals are Buckeye in Bangor, ME and Pbt in Brewer, ME. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Southern Maine.