Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Gloucester Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Residences have a choice of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the preferred choice in Gloucester, used by 2,627,206 or 74% of households. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Gloucester households 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%).
Gloucester 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 Gloucester
Heating oil has become less frequently used in Gloucester. In the 13 years since 2012, the number of residents using heating oil declined from 356,378 to 185,324, a 48% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Gloucester
Between 2012 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel ramped up from 60,990 to 70,406, a 15% change. Comparing 2012 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel grew from 2,368,222 to 2,627,206, a 11% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Gloucester
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Gloucester. Since 2012, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 377,997 to 617,773, a 63% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Gloucester
Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all heating fuels. 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 Gloucester are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 1077% gain from 2012, when 1,002 homes incorporated active solar heating.
Gloucester County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Gloucester County homeowners purchased a total of 2 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Gloucester’s overall heating oil consumption changes from year to year depending on winter temperatures. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ furnaces need to burn additional fuel oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Gloucester was 33.5°F, which was 4.7°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Gloucester County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 33.5° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 38.2° F |
Gloucester County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Gloucester families heating with fuel oil, choosing which of the 8 heating oil companies that serve Gloucester can drastically impact the cost of home heating.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who value a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 0 “full-service” oil companies that serve Gloucester. Full service companies such as or offer customers annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and boiler repair. With an automatic number two heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s fuel 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: Often called “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for customers who are looking to save money. With discount oil companies, in return for better 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. Some of the 2 Gloucester cash heating oil companies serving Gloucester include SJ Fuel South Co Inc Inc and Bottom Dollar Heating Oil.
Gloucester Fuel Oil Company By The Numbers: Heating oil Companies Serving Gloucester: 8 companies .
Average Number of Gloucester Houses Served per Heating Oil company : 23166
Gloucester Heating Oil Delivery Overview
185,324 households in Gloucester heat their homes with number two heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Gloucester temperatures drop as low as 28.8° F each winter. 5.2% of Gloucester households depend on fuel oil delivery each winter.
2.6% of Gloucester County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Gloucester County Households | Gloucester County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 7.1M | 185,324 |
40 Gloucester Heating Oil Companies You Can Bank On
With 169,797,916 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Gloucester households during this past winter, the Gloucester community looks to its 40 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. Oil delivery has two parts to it: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of Gloucester, two of the closest terminals are Sunoco in Linden, NJ and Sunoco in Linden, NJ. Then, the truck delivers the number two heating oil to homes and businesses throughout Gloucester and the surrounding region.
