Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Cumberland Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Homes have a host of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most popular choice in Cumberland, used by 2,627,206 or 74% of families. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Cumberland homeowners is Electricity, used by 617,773 homes (17%). The rest of the homes are heated with Heating Oil (5%), Propane (2%), Other (0.4%), and Solar (0.3%).
Cumberland County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (No. of Households)
| Year | Natural Gas | Propane | Electricity | Oil | Wood | Solar | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2,660,049 | 70,826 | 639,424 | 176,394 | 10,565 | 13,035 | 14,439 |
| 2025 | 2,627,206 | 70,406 | 617,773 | 185,324 | 10,688 | 11,798 | 14,006 |
| 2024 | 2,623,428 | 66,233 | 592,186 | 198,050 | 10,223 | 10,926 | 13,381 |
| 2023 | 2,552,593 | 95,605 | 606,537 | 215,314 | 10,749 | 9,388 | 20,755 |
| 2022 | 2,560,329 | 89,511 | 568,299 | 231,690 | 10,054 | 7,925 | 17,145 |
| 2021 | 2,545,038 | 87,258 | 555,363 | 240,765 | 9,820 | 7,643 | 19,506 |
| 2020 | 2,509,666 | 79,338 | 501,738 | 241,254 | 10,094 | 6,464 | 16,414 |
| 2019 | 2,474,295 | 71,419 | 448,114 | 241,742 | 10,368 | 5,284 | 13,323 |
| 2018 | 2,435,183 | 67,930 | 437,888 | 258,889 | 12,069 | 4,626 | 14,313 |
| 2017 | 2,425,008 | 62,490 | 415,119 | 271,265 | 11,994 | 4,801 | 12,938 |
| 2016 | 2,389,530 | 59,916 | 423,650 | 271,179 | 13,466 | 3,212 | 14,924 |
| 2015 | 2,398,744 | 61,082 | 385,792 | 299,222 | 14,398 | 1,781 | 12,721 |
| 2014 | 2,393,423 | 62,396 | 384,329 | 309,236 | 14,471 | 1,748 | 13,957 |
| 2013 | 2,354,824 | 60,943 | 388,226 | 329,733 | 17,421 | 1,270 | 10,710 |
| 2012 | 2,368,222 | 60,990 | 377,997 | 356,378 | 13,974 | 1,002 | 10,889 |
| 2011 | 2,342,608 | 58,315 | 360,855 | 376,568 | 11,869 | 332 | 7,917 |
| 2010 | 2,344,455 | 63,241 | 343,112 | 392,540 | 11,886 | 325 | 8,439 |
Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Cumberland
Number two heating oil has become less frequently used in Cumberland. In the 7 years since 2018, the number of families using heating oil declined from 258,889 to 185,324, a 28% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Cumberland
Between 2018 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel shot up from 67,930 to 70,406, a 4% change. Comparing 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 2,435,183 to 2,627,206, a 8% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Cumberland
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Cumberland. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity shot up from 437,888 to 617,773, a 41% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Cumberland
Out of all fuels, solar is the safest for the environment. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid is circulated between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank (similar to a hot water heater) in the basement. Currently, 11,798 homes in Cumberland are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 155% gain from 2018, when 4,626 homes utilized active solar heating.
Cumberland County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Cumberland County homeowners purchased a total of 2 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Cumberland’s overall number two heating oil use fluctuates yearly primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside gets more chilly, homes’ HVAC systems need to burn additional heating oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Cumberland was 33.5°F, which was 4.7°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Cumberland County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 33.5° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 38.2° F |
Cumberland County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Cumberland families heating with number two heating oil, selecting which of the 0 heating oil companies that serve Cumberland is an important decision.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who can afford a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select one of the 0 “full-service” oil companies that serve Cumberland. Full service companies such as or offer households annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and boiler repair. With an automatic fuel oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s number two heating oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The family does not need to monitor the level of the oil tank or place individual orders.
Discount Oil Companies: also referred to as “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for families who are on a budget. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order either when the level runs low or just before a major snowstorm. Examples of 0 Cumberland cash heating oil companies serving Cumberland include Inc and .
Cumberland Fuel Oil Company Statistics: Fuel oil Companies Serving Cumberland: 0 companies .
Average Number of Cumberland Households Served per Heating Oil company : 185324
Cumberland Heating Oil Delivery Overview
185,324 families in Cumberland heat their homes with number two heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Cumberland temperatures drop as low as 28.8° F each winter. 5.2% of Cumberland residences are reliant on heating oil delivery each winter.
2.6% of Cumberland County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Cumberland County Households | Cumberland County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 7.1M | 185,324 |
0 Cumberland Number Two Heating Oil Companies You Can Trust
With 169,797,916 gallons of oil delivered to Cumberland homeowners last winter, the Cumberland community looks to its 0 oil companies to keep warm throughout the winter. Oil delivery can be summed up in two steps: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of Cumberland, two of the closest terminals are Sunoco in Linden, NJ and Sunoco in Linden, NJ. Then, the truck delivers the oil to residences and companies throughout Cumberland and the surrounding region.
