Reading: heat pumps and Mass Save
4,088 Reading homes (42%) heat with oil, and the median home was built in 1960. Oil to heat pump is the clearest fit for Mass Save rebates.
- Facts checked: November 3, 2026
How Reading homes heat today
| Main heating fuel | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 4,233 | 43% |
| Electricity | 931 | 10% |
| Fuel oil or kerosene | 4,088 | 42% |
| Propane or bottled gas | 420 | 4% |
| Other or none | 68 | 1% |
9,740 occupied homes: 8,028 owned and 1,712 rented. Median year built: 1960. Of 9,951 housing units, 700 (7%) are in buildings of two to four units, 1,856 (19%) in buildings of five or more, and 7,395 (74%) in single-family homes and other types.
How Reading compares
Among the 23 towns we cover, Reading ranks 1st for oil heat (42% against an average of 20%), 23rd for natural gas (43% against 57%) and 23rd for electric heat (10% against 19%). Other towns on the list, for reference:
| Town | Oil | Gas | Electric | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wakefield | 33% | 48% | 15% | 1956 |
| Danvers | 32% | 49% | 15% | 1963 |
| Stoneham | 29% | 44% | 21% | 1964 |
| Beverly | 25% | 50% | 20% | 1956 |
| Winchester | 24% | 58% | 15% | 1954 |
| Melrose | 20% | 63% | 14% | 1938 |
By the numbers: Reading is the 22nd largest of the 23 towns by occupied homes (9,740). For every home on oil there are 1.0 on natural gas. Its median home year of 1960 is 8 years newer than the 1952 average across these towns. 931 homes (10%) are electric, and 420 (4%) use propane or bottled gas.
Furnace and boiler tune-ups in Reading
4,088 homes in Reading (42%) burn oil. Those systems collect soot and sludge over a season, so the burner, nozzle and filter are the first things we clean and check.
In total, 8,741 of 9,740 homes (90%) burn gas, oil or propane: 4,233 gas, 4,088 oil and 420 propane. 1,712 homes (18%) are rented, which means the landlord, not the tenant, books the visit. The median Reading home was built in 1960. Give us the age of the equipment as well as the house.
Ready to book? Request a Reading tune-up. What gets checked: furnaces, boilers.
Replacing a boiler or furnace in Reading
With 42% of homes on oil, a heat pump that replaces an oil boiler is the case Mass Save rebates most clearly. Rates and the January 1, 2027 drop are on the 2027 rebate page.
Reading is served by Reading Municipal Light Department, a municipal utility. Municipal utilities run their own heat pump programs, so the Mass Save figures here may not apply to you. Check with Reading Municipal Light Department first.
Weighing options? Read heat pump or a new oil boiler and what drives a boiler price, then send photos from Reading.
Where to go next
Estimate your rebate. If you have an oil tank, see oil to heat pump. A heat pump adds load, so check your panel.