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

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Dukes County, used by 1,462,335 or 52.38% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Dukes County homeowners is heating oil, used by 663,749 homes (23.78%). The remaining homes are heated with electricity (490,395), propane (123,474), wood (34,021), and other fuels (50,956).

Dukes County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Dukes County Households	% of Households
Natural Gas	1.4M	52.38%
Heating Oil	663,749	23.78%
Electricity	490,395	17.57%
Propane	123,474	4.42%
Wood	34,021	1.22%
Other Fuels	24,655	0.88%
No Fuel	19,283	0.69%
Solar	5,465	0.20%
Coal	1,553	0.06%

Natural gas (52.38)

Heating oil (23.78)

Electricity (17.57)

Propane (4.42)

Wood (1.22)

Other fuels (0.88)

No fuel (0.69)

Solar (0.20)

Coal (0.06)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Dukes County

Heating oil has become less popular in Dukes County. In the 6 years since 2016, the number of heating oil homes fell from 723,433 to 663,749, a 8.25% drop.

Dukes County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	851,319
2012	827,983
2013	798,470
2014	770,791
2015	746,949
2016	723,433
2017	707,835
2018	690,486
2019	678,224
2020	667,484
2021	662,876
2022	663,749

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Dukes County

Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 78,533 to 123,474.

Between 2016 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,295,552 to 1,462,335.

Electricity use for home heating in Dukes County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Dukes County. Since 2016, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 384,621 to 490,395, a 27.50% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Dukes 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, 5,465 homes in Dukes County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 306.02% increase from 2016, when only 1,346 homes had installed active solar heating.

Dukes County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Dukes County homeowners purchased a total of 2 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Dukes 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 Dukes County, the average outside temperature was 5.3° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Dukes County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	42.7° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	37.4° F

Dukes County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Dukes County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 41 heating oil companies that serve Dukes 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 31 “full-service” oil companies that serve Dukes County. Full service companies such as Star Oil Co or DeBross Hathaway Marvel Inc 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 Dukes 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 Dukes County include TEIXEIRA HEATING & COOLING and DG Service Company.

Dukes County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Dukes County: 41 companies

Average Number Of Dukes County Homes Served Per Company: 63 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Dukes County Oil Company: 55,957 gallons per year

Dukes County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

2,616 households in Dukes County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Dukes County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

32% of Dukes County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Dukes County Households	Dukes County Heating Oil Households
8,040	2,616

133 Dukes County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 2 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Dukes County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Dukes County community relies on its 133 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 Dukes County, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in E. Providence, RI and Shell in Providence, RI. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Dukes County.