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

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

Salem County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Salem 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 Salem County

Heating oil has become less popular in Salem County. In the 8 years since 2014, the number of heating oil homes fell from 353,791 to 258,381, a 26.97% drop.

Salem 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 Salem County

Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 61,808 to 91,132.

Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,364,588 to 2,618,092.

Electricity use for home heating in Salem County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Salem County. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 371,797 to 532,344, a 43.18% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Salem 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 Salem County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 678.56% increase from 2014, when only 942 homes had installed active solar heating.

Salem County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Salem County homeowners purchased a total of 1 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Salem County Average Winter Temperature

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

Salem County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Salem County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 10 heating oil companies that serve Salem 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 0 “full-service” oil companies that serve Salem County. Full service companies such as undefined 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 Salem 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 Salem County include Adams Mech and Burke Mechanical.

Salem County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Salem County: 10 companies

Average Number Of Salem County Homes Served Per Company: 158 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Salem County Oil Company: 104,160 gallons per year

Salem County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

1,585 households in Salem County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Salem County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

37% of Salem County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Salem County Households	Salem County Heating Oil Households
4,208	1,585

10 Salem County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 1 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Salem County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Salem County community relies on its 10 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 Salem County, two of the closest terminals are Pbfenergy in Delaware City, DE and Etmt in Twin Oaks, PA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Salem County.