Propane Fuels America: Maine

August 20, 2021 By Carly Bemer

LP Gas’ yearlong Propane Fuels America series takes a deep dive into how each state benefits from the propane industry. Here’s our report on Connecticut.

Total odorized propane demand (2019): 166 million gallons

U.S. rank for gallons sold: 20

Gallon sales trend: Maine sold 154 million gallons of propane in 2017 and 166 million gallons in 2019, an increase of about 8 percent.

Census region/division gallons: Northeast: 1.69 billion/New England: 775 million

Propane autogas school buses/districts and contractors: 108/11

Market pointers

⦁ Maine has the highest usage of fuel oil in the country, says Leslie Anderson of the Propane Gas Association of New England, with 70 percent of all homes fueled by heating oil. As a result, the state’s propane industry has seen gallon growth where homeowners are choosing to convert heating oil to propane.

In Maine, 70 percent of all homes are fueled by heating oil, the highest fuel oil usage in the U.S. Photo: sara_winter/iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images

⦁ Maine has not seen industry-threatening bills come through its legislature as other states have. According to Anderson, the state has been primarily focused on budgetary and social equity issues and less so on the environment.

⦁ Maine’s residential and commercial markets for propane drive the majority of gallon sales, with residential making up 52 percent of the state’s total sales and commercial making up 44 percent. The state’s cold temperatures and vast rural areas are favorable for the expansion of propane demand, according to the Propane Education & Research Council.

⦁ Dead River Co. is one of the state’s prominent propane retailers with a wide footprint of locations across Maine. The company has completed several acquisitions over recent years. Dead River Co. was also named a 2021 LP Gas Top Propane Retailer.

Fast facts

State association affiliation: Propane Gas Association of New England (PGANE)/pgane.org

Programs: PGANE is working on combining the new branding from the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) with the association’s branding to regionalize PERC’s message that propane is a clean-energy solution.

Marquee events in 2021: PGANE will host its fall meeting Oct. 13-14 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Before COVID-19: The propane industry in Maine had contributed more than $596 million to the 2018 state economy. It’s too early to assess COVID-19’s impact on the state’s gross domestic product.

“If people’s heating oil equipment breaks down, they end up moving to propane in lots of cases.” – Leslie Anderson, president and CEO, Propane Gas Association of New England

What’s the weather?

Average temperature (2020): 43.5 degrees F

Annual heating degree-days five-year average (2015-19): 7,828
U.S. average: 4,090

Sources: Propane Education & Research Council’s U.S. National and State Propane Market Profiles; Annual Retail Propane Sales Report; propane.com; Propane Gas Association of New England; U.S. Energy Information Administration’s State Energy Profiles