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

Union County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Union 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 Union County

Heating oil has become less popular in Union County. In the 2 years since 2020, the number of heating oil homes fell from 260,383 to 258,381, a 0.77% drop.

Union 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 Union County

Between 2020 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 71,033 to 91,132.

Between 2020 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,437,680 to 2,618,092.

Electricity use for home heating in Union County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Union County. Since 2020, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 450,140 to 532,344, a 18.26% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Union 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 Union County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 52.79% increase from 2020, when only 4,800 homes had installed active solar heating.

Union County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Union County homeowners purchased a total of 7 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

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

Union County Average Winter Temperature

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

Union County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Union County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 144 heating oil companies that serve Union 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 18 “full-service” oil companies that serve Union County. Full service companies such as Advantage Oil or Skylands Energy Service 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 Union 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 Union County include Air Temp Service Co and Affordable Oil.

Union County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Union County: 144 companies

Average Number Of Union County Homes Served Per Company: 72 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Union County Oil Company: 47,799 gallons per year

Union County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

10,474 households in Union County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential when Union County thermometers drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

4% of Union County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Union County Households	Union County Heating Oil Households
214,008	10,474

2,431 Union County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 7 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Union County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Union County community relies on its 2,431 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 Union County, two of the closest terminals are Psx in Linden, NJ and Psx in Linden, NJ. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Union County.