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

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Heating oil is the most popular choice in Aroostook County, used by 344,285 or 59.84% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Aroostook County homeowners is propane, used by 74,720 homes (12.99%). The remaining homes are heated with electricity (53,649), wood (50,553), natural gas (46,832), and other fuels (16,018).

Aroostook County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

FuelAroostook County Households % of Households
Heating Oil344,28559.84%
Propane74,72012.99%
Electricity53,6499.33%
Wood50,5538.79%
Natural Gas46,8328.14%
Other Fuels10,7761.87%
No Fuel2,2210.39%
Solar1,7620.31%
Coal1,2590.22%

Heating oil (59.84)

Propane (12.99)

Electricity (9.33)

Wood (8.79)

Natural gas (8.14)

Other fuels (1.87)

No fuel (0.39)

Solar (0.31)

Coal (0.22)

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

Heating oil has become less popular in Aroostook County. In the 10 years since 2012, the number of heating oil homes fell from 389,712 to 344,285, a 11.66% drop.

Aroostook County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

YearHeating Oil Households
2011399,528
2012389,712
2013378,400
2014368,680
2015359,172
2016350,786
2017345,775
2018344,793
2019344,403
2020348,823
2021345,156
2022344,285

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

Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 38,331 to 74,720.

Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 25,468 to 46,832.

Electricity use for home heating in Aroostook County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Aroostook County. Since 2012, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 25,564 to 53,649, a 109.86% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Aroostook 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, 1,762 homes in Aroostook County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 361.26% increase from 2012, when only 382 homes had installed active solar heating.