Households have a variety of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Heating Oil is the most popular choice in Oxford, used by 298,426 or 48% of households. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Oxford 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%).

Oxford 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 Oxford

Oil has become less popular in Oxford. In the 1 years since 2024, the number of families using heating oil declined from 309,159 to 298,426, a 3% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Oxford

Between 2024 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 98,171 to 101,382, a 3% change. Comparing 2024 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel increased from 51,248 to 53,178, a 4% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Oxford

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Oxford. Since 2024, the number of homes heating with electricity shot up from 83,361 to 92,432, a 11% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Oxford

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. As it stands today, 3,526 homes in Oxford are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 12% gain from 2024, when 3,144 homes had active solar heating.

Oxford County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Oxford County homeowners purchased a total of 7 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Oxford’s overall heating oil usage fluctuates from year to year based on the severity of the winter. As the temperature outside dips, homes’ boilers need to burn additional heating oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Oxford was 24.4°F, which was 4.2°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Oxford County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
2024 - 2025	24.4° F
2023 - 2024	28.6° F

Oxford County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Oxford homes heating with heating oil, selecting which of the 16 heating oil companies that serve Oxford can drastically impact the cost of home heating.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who prefer a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select one of the 4 “full-service” oil companies that serve Oxford. Full service companies such as Ness Oil Company or Mainely Heating Oil offer customers annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic number two heating oil delivery and heating system repair. With an automatic oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s heating 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 referred to as “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for customers who are budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when the oil gauge dips below a quarter tank. Some of the 2 Oxford cash heating oil companies serving Oxford include C N Brown Co Inc and CN Brown Energy.

Oxford Heating Oil Company By The Numbers: Heating oil Companies Serving Oxford: 16 companies .

Average Number of Oxford Households Served per Heating Oil company : 18652

Oxford Heating Oil Delivery Overview

298,426 families in Oxford heat their homes with heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Oxford temperatures drop as low as 17.7° F each winter. 47.8% of Oxford residences are reliant on fuel oil delivery each winter.

23.9% of Oxford County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Oxford County Households	Oxford County Heating Oil Households
1.2M	298,426

92 Oxford Heating Oil Companies Go The Distance

With 246,945,991 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Oxford families during this past winter, the Oxford community depends on its 92 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 Oxford, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Newington, NH and Sprague in So. Portland, ME. Then, the truck delivers the oil to homes and businesses throughout Oxford and the surrounding area.

Heating Oil Near You In These Adjacent Counties

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