Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Knox Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Households have a host of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Heating Oil is the most popular choice in Knox, used by 298,426 or 48% of homeowners. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Knox homeowners is Propane, used by 101,382 homes (16%). The remaining homes are heated with Electricity (15%), Wood (10%), Natural Gas (9%), and Other (2%).
Knox County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (No. of Households)
| Year | Natural Gas | Propane | Electricity | Oil | Wood | Solar | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 56,154 | 108,059 | 99,960 | 293,815 | 65,168 | 3,873 | 9,806 |
| 2025 | 53,178 | 101,382 | 92,432 | 298,426 | 65,496 | 3,526 | 9,422 |
| 2024 | 51,248 | 98,171 | 83,361 | 309,159 | 59,610 | 3,144 | 8,226 |
| 2023 | 51,811 | 84,744 | 79,160 | 323,666 | 57,999 | 2,137 | 12,767 |
| 2022 | 48,991 | 84,304 | 63,901 | 339,456 | 51,998 | 1,704 | 11,224 |
| 2021 | 47,952 | 78,322 | 61,019 | 345,133 | 46,227 | 1,374 | 10,375 |
| 2020 | 46,351 | 73,782 | 54,514 | 345,001 | 50,077 | 1,210 | 9,402 |
| 2019 | 44,750 | 69,241 | 48,008 | 344,869 | 53,927 | 1,047 | 8,428 |
| 2018 | 44,328 | 61,194 | 41,759 | 355,904 | 54,843 | 1,169 | 8,683 |
| 2017 | 41,841 | 61,816 | 36,406 | 331,541 | 54,454 | 1,228 | 10,328 |
| 2016 | 41,879 | 52,621 | 33,543 | 333,900 | 55,290 | 312 | 11,584 |
| 2015 | 37,624 | 50,511 | 35,138 | 336,337 | 70,767 | 604 | 11,270 |
| 2014 | 37,608 | 48,027 | 28,040 | 342,185 | 78,214 | 451 | 11,692 |
| 2013 | 31,836 | 45,601 | 28,747 | 351,842 | 76,707 | 486 | 9,827 |
| 2012 | 28,621 | 41,477 | 23,260 | 374,110 | 76,225 | 635 | 6,995 |
| 2011 | 27,427 | 42,224 | 24,723 | 379,409 | 68,055 | 307 | 6,480 |
| 2010 | 23,135 | 36,617 | 27,813 | 384,021 | 65,520 | 446 | 5,177 |
Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Knox
Heating oil has become less popular in Knox. In the 3 years since 2022, the number of residents using oil decreased from 339,456 to 298,426, a 12% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Knox
Between 2022 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 84,304 to 101,382, a 20% change. Comparing 2022 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel increased from 48,991 to 53,178, a 9% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Knox
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are gaining popularity in Knox. Since 2022, the number of homes heating with electricity increased from 63,901 to 92,432, a 45% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Knox
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, 3,526 homes in Knox are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 107% gain from 2022, when 1,704 homes had active solar heating.
Knox County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Knox County homeowners purchased a total of 2 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Knox’s overall fuel oil use fluctuates from year to year as winter conditions change. As the temperature outside drops, homes’ furnaces need to burn increasing amounts of heating oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Knox was 24.4°F, which was 4.2°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Knox County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 24.4° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 28.6° F |
Knox County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Knox homeowners heating with heating oil, picking which of the 6 heating oil companies that serve Knox can drastically impact the cost of home heating.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who value a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 5 “full-service” oil companies that serve Knox. Full service companies such as Maritime Energy or MA Haskell Fuel Company LLC offer households annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and boiler 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 family 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 clients who are on a budget. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the fuel oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. A few of the 2 Knox cash heating oil companies serving Knox include CB Haskell Fuel Company Inc Inc and Boothbay Energy.
Knox Heating Oil Company Statistics: Fuel oil Companies Serving Knox: 6 companies .
Average Number of Knox Houses Served per Heating Oil company : 49738
Knox Heating Oil Delivery Overview
298,426 households in Knox heat their homes with oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Knox temperatures drop as low as 17.7° F each winter. 47.8% of Knox households rely on oil delivery each winter.
23.9% of Knox County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Knox County Households | Knox County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 1.2M | 298,426 |
8 Knox Heating Oil Companies You Can Bank On
With 246,945,991 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Knox homes during this past winter, the Knox community relies on its 8 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 Knox, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Newington, NH and Sprague in So. Portland, ME. Then, the truck delivers the oil to residences and companies throughout Knox and the surrounding vicinity.
