Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Rockingham Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homes have a choice of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Heating Oil is the most common choice in Rockingham, used by 212,831 or 37% of residents. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Rockingham homeowners is Natural Gas, used by 124,974 homes (22%). The rest of the homes are heated with Propane (21%), Electricity (12%), Wood (6%), and Other (2%).

Rockingham County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (No. of Households)

Year	Natural Gas	Propane	Electricity	Oil	Wood	Solar	Other
2026	126,732	125,939	73,211	209,287	31,664	2,712	12,560
2025	124,974	121,512	70,926	212,831	32,268	2,474	11,835
2024	126,691	116,162	68,090	211,416	29,746	2,147	11,751
2023	118,533	112,909	64,436	221,554	35,424	1,544	10,170
2022	121,267	103,967	61,455	223,612	30,964	909	10,992
2021	121,966	102,208	58,765	218,724	30,381	890	10,002
2020	118,607	98,116	56,313	223,224	32,446	761	9,755
2019	115,248	94,024	53,861	227,725	34,512	632	9,508
2018	113,986	86,695	50,260	232,152	35,632	411	8,224
2017	111,070	90,341	47,927	227,681	37,912	575	8,850
2016	110,428	81,949	48,677	229,187	35,047	666	9,880
2015	103,292	78,670	46,002	232,674	42,472	488	10,268
2014	100,601	76,212	46,268	230,361	49,555	275	10,068
2013	101,529	76,485	42,038	239,542	44,711	334	9,251
2012	104,858	72,091	39,257	245,324	43,948	593	7,870
2011	100,958	74,416	40,613	252,159	37,084	280	7,019
2010	100,857	70,863	41,909	253,772	40,272	85	4,752

Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Rockingham

Oil has become less popular in Rockingham. In the 8 years since 2017, the number of homeowners using number two heating oil declined from 227,681 to 212,831, a 7% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Rockingham

Between 2017 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel increased from 90,341 to 121,512, a 35% change. Comparing 2017 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 111,070 to 124,974, a 13% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Rockingham

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Rockingham. Since 2017, the number of homes heating with electricity increased from 47,927 to 70,926, a 48% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Rockingham

The most eco-friendly heating option is solar. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid flows between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank (similar to a hot water heater) in the basement. Now, 2,474 homes in Rockingham are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 330% gain from 2017, when 575 homes incorporated active solar heating.

Rockingham County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Rockingham County homeowners purchased a total of 52 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Rockingham’s overall fuel oil usage varies from year to year correlating with how cold it gets each winter. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ boilers need to burn additional fuel oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Rockingham was 24.1°F, which was 5.3°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Rockingham County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
2024 - 2025	24.1° F
2023 - 2024	29.4° F

Rockingham County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Rockingham homeowners heating with number two heating oil, picking which of the 62 heating oil companies that serve Rockingham is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who are willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select one of the 119 “full-service” oil companies that serve Rockingham. Full service companies such as NiBROC Oil or Palmer Gas Co Inc offer homeowners annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and heating system repair. With an automatic heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The household 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 fuel oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when the oil gauge dips below a quarter tank. A few of the 2 Rockingham cash heating oil companies serving Rockingham include Rockingham Oil LLC Inc and Chapman Fuel.

Rockingham Number Two Heating Oil Company Fast Facts: Number two heating oil Companies Serving Rockingham: 62 companies .

Average Number of Rockingham Homes Served per Fuel Oil company : 3433

Rockingham Heating Oil Delivery Overview

212,831 residences in Rockingham heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Rockingham temperatures drop as low as 16.9° F each winter. 36.9% of Rockingham families depend on oil delivery each winter.

18.4% of Rockingham County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Rockingham County Households	Rockingham County Heating Oil Households
1.1M	212,831

987 Rockingham Fuel Oil Companies Homeowners Can Count On

With 199,461,865 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Rockingham households last winter, the Rockingham community depends on its 987 oil companies to keep warm throughout the winter. Oil delivery has two parts to it: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of Rockingham, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Newington, NH and Gulf in Chelsea, MA. Then, the truck delivers the number two heating oil to homes and businesses throughout Rockingham and the surrounding region.