Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Passaic County, used by 2,618,092 or 74.00% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Passaic 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).

Passaic County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Passaic 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 Passaic County

Heating oil has become less popular in Passaic County. In the 4 years since 2018, the number of heating oil homes fell from 284,056 to 258,381, a 9.04% drop.

Passaic 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 Passaic County

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 63,138 to 91,132.

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,411,472 to 2,618,092.

Electricity use for home heating in Passaic County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Passaic County. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 408,397 to 532,344, a 30.35% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Passaic 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 Passaic County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 136.58% increase from 2018, when only 3,100 homes had installed active solar heating.

Passaic County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Passaic County homeowners purchased a total of 4 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Passaic 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 Passaic County, the average outside temperature was 5.2° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Passaic County Average Winter Temperature

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

Passaic County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Passaic County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 100 heating oil companies that serve Passaic 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 14 “full-service” oil companies that serve Passaic County. Full service companies such as Advantage Oil or Advantage Oil 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 Passaic 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 Passaic County include AIR 1 HVAC LLC and Air Temp Service Co.

Passaic County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Passaic County: 100 companies

Average Number Of Passaic County Homes Served Per Company: 63 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Passaic County Oil Company: 41,946 gallons per year

Passaic County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

6,383 households in Passaic County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Passaic County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

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

Passaic County Households	Passaic County Heating Oil Households
177,350	6,383

1,076 Passaic County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 4 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Passaic County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Passaic County community relies on its 1,076 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 Passaic County, two of the closest terminals are Etmt in Newark Proper, NJ and Etmt in Newark, NJ. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Passaic County.