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Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Ocean County Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Ocean County, used by 2,618,092 or 74.00% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Ocean County homeowners is electricity, used by 532,344 homes (15.05%). The remaining homes are heated with heating oil (258,381), propane (91,132), no fuel (30,011), and other fuels (40,620).

Ocean County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Ocean County Households	% of Households
Natural Gas	2.6M	74.00%
Electricity	532,344	15.05%
Heating Oil	258,381	7.30%
Propane	91,132	2.58%
No Fuel	30,011	0.85%
Other Fuels	19,813	0.56%
Wood	12,502	0.35%
Solar	7,334	0.21%
Coal	971	0.03%

Natural gas (74.00)

Electricity (15.05)

Heating oil (7.30)

Propane (2.58)

No fuel (0.85)

Other fuels (0.56)

Wood (0.35)

Solar (0.21)

Coal (0.03)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Ocean County

Heating oil has become less popular in Ocean County. In the 9 years since 2013, the number of heating oil homes fell from 374,390 to 258,381, a 30.99% drop.

Ocean County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	420,231
2012	397,731
2013	374,390
2014	353,791
2015	336,160
2016	314,964
2017	298,525
2018	284,056
2019	271,250
2020	260,383
2021	256,421
2022	258,381

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Ocean County

Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 62,512 to 91,132.

Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,354,543 to 2,618,092.

Electricity use for home heating in Ocean County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Ocean County. Since 2013, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 361,146 to 532,344, a 47.40% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Ocean County

Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all space heating fuels. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid is circulated between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank in the basement.

Currently, 7,334 homes in Ocean County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 1134.68% increase from 2013, when only 594 homes had installed active solar heating.

Ocean County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Ocean County homeowners purchased a total of 2 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Ocean County’s overall heating oil use varies from year to year, primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ heating systems need to burn more and more oil to keep homes warm. Last winter in Ocean County, the average outside temperature was 5.2° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Ocean County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	47.2° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	42° F

Ocean County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Ocean County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 46 heating oil companies that serve Ocean County is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 1 “full-service” oil companies that serve Ocean County. Full service companies such as Lawes Home Comfort or undefined offer automatic fuel delivery and furnace repair under a single roof.

Discount Oil Companies: Also known by the names “COD Fuel Companies” or “Cash Heating Oil Companies”, these companies are for the budget-conscious Ocean County homeowner. In return for better prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank and place an order when you run low on oil. Examples of cash heating oil companies that serve Ocean County include V & A Central Air Inc and NJR Home Services / Wall.

Ocean County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Ocean County: 46 companies

Average Number Of Ocean County Homes Served Per Company: 62 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Ocean County Oil Company: 40,943 gallons per year

Ocean County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

2,866 households in Ocean County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Ocean County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

3% of Ocean County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Ocean County Households	Ocean County Heating Oil Households
82,229	2,866

78 Ocean County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 2 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Ocean County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Ocean County community relies on its 78 oil companies to keep warm.

Oil delivery is a two step process: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal. In the case of Ocean County, two of the closest terminals are Buckeye in Buckeye, NJ and Meenan in Tullytown, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Ocean County.