Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Essex Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Households have a variety of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most popular choice in Essex, used by 2,627,206 or 74% of residents. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Essex families is Electricity, used by 617,773 homes (17%). The remaining homes are heated with Heating Oil (5%), Propane (2%), Other (0.4%), and Solar (0.3%).
Essex 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 Essex
Fuel oil has become losing popularity in Essex. In the 10 years since 2015, the number of residents using fuel oil fell from 299,222 to 185,324, a 38% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Essex
Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel increased from 61,082 to 70,406, a 15% change. Comparing 2015 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel shot up from 2,398,744 to 2,627,206, a 10% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Essex
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Essex. Since 2015, the number of homes heating with electricity jumped from 385,792 to 617,773, a 60% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Essex
The most eco-friendly heating option is solar. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid flows between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank (similar to a hot water heater) in the basement. As it stands today, 11,798 homes in Essex are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 562% gain from 2015, when 1,781 homes incorporated active solar heating.
Essex County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Essex County homeowners purchased a total of 10 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Essex’s overall heating oil usage changes each year correlating with how cold it gets each winter. As the temperature outside dips, homes’ HVAC systems need to burn more and more fuel oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Essex was 33.5°F, which was 4.7°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Essex County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 33.5° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 38.2° F |
Essex County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Essex homes heating with oil, picking which of the 0 heating oil companies that serve Essex can drastically impact the cost of home heating.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who are willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 0 “full-service” oil companies that serve Essex. Full service companies such as or offer homeowners annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic oil delivery and heating system repair. With an automatic oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The homeowner does not need to monitor the level of the oil tank or place individual orders.
Discount Oil Companies: Also known by the names “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for families who are budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. A few of the 0 Essex cash heating oil companies serving Essex include Inc and .
Essex Heating Oil Company By The Numbers: Fuel oil Companies Serving Essex: 0 companies .
Average Number of Essex Homes Served per Heating Oil company : 185324
Essex Heating Oil Delivery Overview
185,324 houses in Essex heat their homes with number two heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Essex temperatures drop as low as 28.8° F each winter. 5.2% of Essex houses are reliant on fuel oil delivery each winter.
2.6% of Essex County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Essex County Households | Essex County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 7.1M | 185,324 |
0 Essex Number Two Heating Oil Companies You Can Bank On
With 169,797,916 gallons of heating oil delivered to Essex homes during this past winter, the Essex community depends on its 0 oil companies when temperatures dip. 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 Essex, two of the closest terminals are Sunoco in Linden, NJ and Sunoco in Linden, NJ. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to residences and companies throughout Essex and the surrounding area.
