Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Bennington Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Households have a variety of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Heating Oil is the preferred choice in Bennington, used by 99,824 or 35% of residents. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Bennington households is Propane, used by 57,954 homes (20%). The rest of the homes are heated with Natural Gas (19%), Electricity (13%), Wood (11%), and Other (2%).
Bennington County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (in Number of Households)
| Year | Natural Gas | Propane | Electricity | Oil | Wood | Solar | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 55,373 | 57,954 | 36,366 | 99,824 | 33,030 | 1,820 | 4,366 |
| 2024 | 56,646 | 56,523 | 33,651 | 101,281 | 30,344 | 1,660 | 4,241 |
| 2023 | 48,131 | 54,853 | 27,940 | 102,091 | 38,497 | 1,670 | 4,784 |
| 2022 | 50,240 | 51,520 | 24,105 | 105,894 | 36,184 | 1,106 | 6,886 |
| 2021 | 50,677 | 51,992 | 22,510 | 105,005 | 33,125 | 1,349 | 4,533 |
| 2020 | 49,752 | 50,131 | 19,616 | 106,832 | 33,799 | 948 | 4,630 |
| 2019 | 48,826 | 48,270 | 16,723 | 108,658 | 34,473 | 547 | 4,727 |
| 2018 | 47,328 | 44,423 | 14,122 | 108,961 | 40,731 | 819 | 3,930 |
| 2017 | 47,036 | 43,339 | 14,035 | 107,395 | 38,840 | 612 | 3,997 |
| 2016 | 46,388 | 42,621 | 14,097 | 106,498 | 39,455 | 571 | 3,822 |
| 2015 | 45,256 | 40,280 | 12,610 | 108,532 | 42,271 | 263 | 4,298 |
| 2014 | 43,091 | 38,116 | 11,250 | 115,387 | 43,828 | 179 | 4,258 |
| 2013 | 42,192 | 38,339 | 11,779 | 111,011 | 44,411 | 257 | 3,630 |
| 2012 | 41,601 | 38,497 | 12,532 | 114,708 | 46,051 | 206 | 3,749 |
| 2011 | 39,163 | 39,551 | 10,855 | 122,786 | 41,261 | 98 | 2,834 |
| 2010 | 41,357 | 35,529 | 13,667 | 122,832 | 38,777 | 122 | 3,182 |
Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Bennington
Oil has become losing popularity in Bennington. In the 11 years since 2014, the number of families using oil decreased from 115,387 to 99,824, a 13% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Bennington
Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel ramped up from 38,116 to 57,954, a 52% change. Comparing 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 43,091 to 55,373, a 29% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Bennington
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are gaining popularity in Bennington. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity increased from 11,250 to 36,366, a 223% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Bennington
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. Currently, 1,820 homes in Bennington are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 917% gain from 2014, when 179 homes had active solar heating.
Bennington County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Bennington County homeowners purchased a total of 4 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Bennington’s overall oil consumption fluctuates annually as winter conditions change. As the temperature outside drops, homes’ heating systems need to burn more and more heating oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Bennington was 20.4°F, which was 6.4°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Bennington County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 20.4° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 26.8° F |
Bennington County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Bennington homeowners heating with oil, picking which of the 2 heating oil companies that serve Bennington makes a big difference.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who are willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 2 “full-service” oil companies that serve Bennington. Full service companies such as Morse Fuels LLC or Davey Oil Inc offer families annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and HVAC 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 customer does not need to monitor the level of the oil tank or place individual orders.
Discount Oil Companies: also referred to as “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 heating 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 0 Bennington cash heating oil companies serving Bennington include and .
Bennington Oil Company Statistics: Heating oil Companies Serving Bennington: 2 companies .
Average Number of Bennington Households Served per Heating Oil company : 49912
Bennington Heating Oil Delivery Overview
99,824 residences in Bennington heat their homes with number two heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Bennington temperatures drop as low as 12.6° F each winter. 34.6% of Bennington houses depend on oil delivery each winter.
17.2% of Bennington County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Bennington County Households | Bennington County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 579,101 | 99,824 |
2 Bennington Fuel Oil Companies Go The Distance
With 92,108,924 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Bennington families last winter, the Bennington community looks to its 2 oil companies to keep warm throughout the winter. 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 Bennington, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Newington, NH and Apex in Rensselaer, NY. Then, the truck delivers the oil to residences and companies throughout Bennington and the surrounding area.
