Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Essex Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Homeowners have a choice of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the preferred choice in Essex, used by 4,725,574 or 61% of residents. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Essex households is Electricity, used by 1,365,710 homes (18%). The other homes are heated with Heating Oil (14%), Propane (5%), Other (1%), and Wood (1%).
Essex County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (No. of Households)
| Year | Natural Gas | Propane | Electricity | Oil | Wood | Solar | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4,768,707 | 390,135 | 1,429,822 | 1,059,449 | 89,064 | 18,053 | 103,422 |
| 2025 | 4,725,574 | 377,922 | 1,365,710 | 1,103,323 | 92,054 | 16,434 | 100,232 |
| 2024 | 4,679,558 | 370,910 | 1,292,868 | 1,143,783 | 96,147 | 15,259 | 97,524 |
| 2023 | 4,581,041 | 402,335 | 1,263,700 | 1,212,850 | 100,015 | 11,208 | 104,369 |
| 2022 | 4,542,443 | 400,969 | 1,190,880 | 1,279,260 | 99,080 | 11,314 | 103,810 |
| 2021 | 4,489,009 | 388,311 | 1,118,015 | 1,293,770 | 108,202 | 8,858 | 98,952 |
| 2020 | 4,504,504 | 353,944 | 1,014,730 | 1,343,665 | 111,106 | 8,778 | 89,024 |
| 2019 | 4,519,999 | 319,576 | 911,445 | 1,393,560 | 114,011 | 8,697 | 79,096 |
| 2018 | 4,397,917 | 308,020 | 890,554 | 1,459,976 | 120,159 | 6,022 | 82,621 |
| 2017 | 4,339,349 | 294,973 | 867,925 | 1,496,843 | 122,088 | 5,988 | 77,386 |
| 2016 | 4,227,422 | 273,838 | 860,856 | 1,540,787 | 126,890 | 6,535 | 79,479 |
| 2015 | 4,202,413 | 265,224 | 808,370 | 1,649,860 | 141,016 | 3,120 | 78,999 |
| 2014 | 4,186,666 | 258,775 | 770,577 | 1,752,656 | 145,012 | 2,573 | 76,963 |
| 2013 | 4,074,510 | 259,367 | 764,400 | 1,802,442 | 148,422 | 2,525 | 81,841 |
| 2012 | 4,044,389 | 237,738 | 775,390 | 1,901,118 | 155,603 | 2,168 | 61,429 |
| 2011 | 4,014,222 | 222,634 | 707,016 | 1,979,067 | 143,287 | 2,728 | 63,609 |
| 2010 | 3,961,085 | 227,607 | 676,262 | 2,068,004 | 143,242 | 1,823 | 61,664 |
Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Essex
Heating oil has become less popular in Essex. In the 6 years since 2019, the number of homeowners using heating oil declined from 1,393,560 to 1,103,323, a 21% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Essex
Between 2019 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel grew from 319,576 to 377,922, a 18% change. Comparing 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 4,519,999 to 4,725,574, a 5% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Essex
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are gaining popularity in Essex. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity jumped from 911,445 to 1,365,710, a 50% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Essex
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, 16,434 homes in Essex are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 89% gain from 2019, when 8,697 homes incorporated active solar heating.
Essex County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Essex County homeowners purchased a total of 1 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Essex’s overall heating oil use fluctuates from year to 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 maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Essex was 28.1°F, which was 5.4°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Essex County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 28.1° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 33.5° F |
Essex County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Essex residences heating with fuel oil, picking which of the 8 heating oil companies that serve Essex can drastically impact the cost of home heating.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who value a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 11 “full-service” oil companies that serve Essex. Full service companies such as Leroux Enterprises LLC or PJ Hyde & Son Inc offer families annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and furnace repair. With an automatic heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s heating oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The customer 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 budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when the oil gauge dips below a quarter tank. Some of the 2 Essex cash heating oil companies serving Essex include Au Sable Valley Fuel Incorporated Gordon Oil Inc and Church Oil Co Inc.
Essex Number Two Heating Oil Company Statistics: Oil Companies Serving Essex: 8 companies .
Average Number of Essex Homes Served per Fuel Oil company : 137915
Essex Heating Oil Delivery Overview
1,103,323 homes in Essex heat their homes with heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Essex temperatures drop as low as 22.4° F each winter. 14.2% of Essex households depend on fuel oil delivery each winter.
7% of Essex County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Essex County Households | Essex County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 15.6M | 1.1M |
18 Essex Number Two Heating Oil Companies Go The Distance
With 664,748,714 gallons of heating oil delivered to Essex houses last winter, the Essex community depends on its 18 oil companies when temperatures dip. Oil delivery is a two step process: 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 Sprague in Bridgeport, CT and N.h.term in New Haven, CT. Then, the truck delivers the oil to residences and companies throughout Essex and the surrounding vicinity.
