How are homes heated in Melville, RI?

Name: Heating fuel in Melville, RI, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

Utility gas is the most common heating fuel in Melville, used by 58.1% (±15.6 points) of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

30.1% heat with electricity.

7.8% heat with fuel oil or kerosene.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Utility gas: 58.1% (±15.6 points)
Electricity: 30.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene: 7.8%

Heating fuel in Melville

Occupied housing units by house heating fuel, 2020–2024
Fuel used most	Melville	Newport County	Rhode Island	United States
Utility gas	58.1% (±15.6 points)	33.0%	53.0%	46.5%
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.	7.8% (±8.6 points)	43.6%	26.6%	3.9%
Electricity	30.1% (±14.3 points)	13.0%	13.0%	41.3%
Bottled or tank gas (propane)	1.6% (±2.6 points)	7.4%	5.0%	4.9%
Wood	0.0% (±9.5 points)	1.2%	1.1%	1.4%
Solar energy	2.4% (±4.0 points)	0.5%	0.1%	0.3%
Coal or coke	0.0% (±9.5 points)	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%
Other fuel	0.0% (±9.5 points)	1.0%	0.6%	0.5%
No fuel used	0.0% (±9.5 points)	0.3%	0.5%	1.2%

The survey asks which fuel is used most to heat the home, so a home with a heat pump and an oil backup is counted once, under the one it uses most.

In Melville, the share of homes heating with fuel oil is lower than in Newport County (43.6%).

It is also lower than in Rhode Island (26.6%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (3.9%).

In Melville, the share of homes heating with electricity is higher than in Newport County (13.0%).

It is also higher than in Rhode Island (13.0%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (41.3%).

Homes heated by electricity in places near Melville

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Melville
Place	Distance	Homes heated by electricity	Compared with this place
Melville	—	30.1% (±14.3 points)	—
Middletown	2.9 mi	19.0% (±4.2 points)	Not measurably different
Newport East	3.1 mi	21.2% (±5.8 points)	Not measurably different
Jamestown	4.5 mi	18.3% (±9.2 points)	Not measurably different
Newport	5.8 mi	14.8% (±2.5 points)	Lower
Tiverton	7.0 mi	4.9% (±1.8 points)	Lower
North Kingstown	7.7 mi	13.4% (±2.2 points)	Lower
Little Compton	8.1 mi	8.0% (±4.3 points)	Lower
Bristol	8.2 mi	10.6% (±3.0 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Newport, RI (14.8%), Tiverton, RI (4.9%), North Kingstown, RI (13.4%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Homes heated by fuel oil across Newport County, place by place

Rank	Place	Homes heated by fuel oil
1	Tiverton (community)	59.3% (±6.0 points)
2	Newport East	36.1% (±4.8 points)
3	Melville	7.8% (±8.6 points)

Melville is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.

It lies inside Portsmouth, whose figures include it.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates).

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Melville

What is the most common way to heat a home in Melville?

Utility gas is the most common heating fuel in Melville, used by 58.1% of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many homes in Melville heat with oil?

7.8% (±8.6 points) of occupied homes in Melville use fuel oil or kerosene as their main heating fuel.

How many homes in Melville have electric heat?

30.1% (±14.3 points) of occupied homes in Melville heat mainly with electricity, which includes heat pumps.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Melville CDP, Rhode Island

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Melville CDP, Rhode Island (place:45010, in state:44).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0063PE, DP04_0063PM, DP04_0066PE, DP04_0066PM, DP04_0065PE, DP04_0065PM, DP04_0064PE, DP04_0064PM, DP04_0068PE, DP04_0068PM, DP04_0069PE, DP04_0069PM, DP04_0067PE, DP04_0067PM, DP04_0070PE, DP04_0070PM, DP04_0071PE, DP04_0071PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.