Salem: heat pumps and Mass Save
38% of Salem housing units are in buildings of two to four units and 50% of homes are owner-occupied, so many projects start with a landlord or a two-family owner.
- Facts checked: November 3, 2026
How Salem homes heat today
| Main heating fuel | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 11,117 | 55% |
| Electricity | 5,078 | 25% |
| Fuel oil or kerosene | 3,384 | 17% |
| Propane or bottled gas | 238 | 1% |
| Other or none | 450 | 2% |
20,267 occupied homes: 10,073 owned and 10,194 rented. Median year built: 1938. Of 21,492 housing units, 8,160 (38%) are in buildings of two to four units, 6,862 (32%) in buildings of five or more, and 6,470 (30%) in single-family homes and other types.
How Salem compares
Among the 23 towns we cover, Salem ranks 15th for oil heat (17% against an average of 20%), 14th for natural gas (55% against 57%) and 4th for electric heat (25% against 19%). A few towns with a similar heating mix and housing age:
| Town | Oil | Gas | Electric | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lynn | 17% | 57% | 22% | 1946 |
| Arlington | 18% | 59% | 18% | 1945 |
| Waltham | 19% | 53% | 24% | 1961 |
| Melrose | 20% | 63% | 14% | 1938 |
| Malden | 10% | 61% | 23% | 1950 |
| Belmont | 18% | 70% | 10% | 1938 |
Put another way: Salem is the 10th largest of the 23 towns by occupied homes (20,267). For every home on oil there are 3.3 on natural gas. Its median home year of 1938 is 14 years older than the 1952 average across these towns. 5,078 homes (25%) are electric, and 238 (1%) use propane or bottled gas.
Heating tune-up in Salem
Heating in Salem is mixed: 55% gas, 17% oil and 25% electricity, so the first thing we ask is which kind you have. 5,078 homes (25%) heat with electricity. Electric baseboard has almost nothing to service, while a heat pump has an outdoor unit, filters and a drain to check.
Across the three burner fuels, 14,739 of 20,267 homes (73%) burn gas, oil or propane: 11,117 gas, 3,384 oil and 238 propane. 10,194 homes (50%) are rented, and in those the owner of the building, not the person paying the heat bill, usually arranges service. With a median build year of 1938, many Salem systems have been patched, moved or replaced at least once.
Ready to book? Request a Salem tune-up. What gets checked: furnaces, boilers.
Replacing a boiler or furnace in Salem
Which rebate applies in Salem depends on the old system: oil, propane and electric heat qualify outright, and gas qualifies only with a Mass Save gas sponsor. Rates and the January 1, 2027 drop are on the 2027 rebate page.
Weighing options? Read heat pump or a new oil boiler and what drives a boiler price, then send photos from Salem.
Next steps
Start with the rebate estimate. If you have an oil tank, see oil to heat pump. In a two- or three-family? Heat pump for a triple-decker. Old fuse box? Panel upgrades.