Homes have a host of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the preferred choice in Bergen, used by 2,627,206 or 74% of residents. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Bergen residents is Electricity, used by 617,773 homes (17%). The remaining homes are heated with Heating Oil (5%), Propane (2%), Other (0.4%), and Solar (0.3%).

Bergen County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (in Number of Households)

Year	Natural Gas	Propane	Electricity	Oil	Wood	Solar	Other
2025	2,627,206	70,406	617,773	185,324	10,688	11,798	14,006
2024	2,623,428	66,233	592,186	198,050	10,223	10,926	13,381
2023	2,552,593	95,605	606,537	215,314	10,749	9,388	20,755
2022	2,560,329	89,511	568,299	231,690	10,054	7,925	17,145
2021	2,545,038	87,258	555,363	240,765	9,820	7,643	19,506
2020	2,509,666	79,338	501,738	241,254	10,094	6,464	16,414
2019	2,474,295	71,419	448,114	241,742	10,368	5,284	13,323
2018	2,435,183	67,930	437,888	258,889	12,069	4,626	14,313
2017	2,425,008	62,490	415,119	271,265	11,994	4,801	12,938
2016	2,389,530	59,916	423,650	271,179	13,466	3,212	14,924
2015	2,398,744	61,082	385,792	299,222	14,398	1,781	12,721
2014	2,393,423	62,396	384,329	309,236	14,471	1,748	13,957
2013	2,354,824	60,943	388,226	329,733	17,421	1,270	10,710
2012	2,368,222	60,990	377,997	356,378	13,974	1,002	10,889
2011	2,342,608	58,315	360,855	376,568	11,869	332	7,917
2010	2,344,455	63,241	343,112	392,540	11,886	325	8,439

Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Bergen

Oil has become less frequently used in Bergen. In the 1 years since 2024, the number of residents using oil declined from 198,050 to 185,324, a 6% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Bergen

Between 2024 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel ramped up from 66,233 to 70,406, a 6% change. Comparing 2024 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel held steady at 2,627,206, a 0% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Bergen

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Bergen. Since 2024, the number of homes heating with electricity shot up from 592,186 to 617,773, a 4% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Bergen

Out of all fuels, solar is the safest for the environment. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid is circulated between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank (similar to a hot water heater) in the basement. Currently, 11,798 homes in Bergen are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 8% gain from 2024, when 10,926 homes utilized active solar heating.

Bergen County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Bergen County homeowners purchased a total of 9 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Bergen’s overall heating oil usage varies yearly depending on winter temperatures. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ furnaces need to burn more and more fuel oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Bergen was 33.5°F, which was 4.7°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Bergen County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
2024 - 2025	33.5° F
2023 - 2024	38.2° F

Bergen County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Bergen families heating with fuel oil, selecting which of the 22 heating oil companies that serve Bergen plays a big role in determining how much money is spent on heating each winter.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who are willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 3 “full-service” oil companies that serve Bergen. Full service companies such as Advantage Oil or Advantage Oil offer clients annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic oil delivery and HVAC repair. With an automatic number two heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The family does not need to monitor the level of the oil tank or place individual orders.

Discount Oil Companies: Also known by the names “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for customers who are looking to save money. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order either when the level runs low or just before a major snowstorm. A few of the 2 Bergen cash heating oil companies serving Bergen include Deinrich Fuel Oil Inc and National Fuel Oil Inc.

Bergen Oil Company By The Numbers: Oil Companies Serving Bergen: 22 companies .
Average Number of Bergen Homes Served per Number Two Heating Oil company : 8424

Bergen Heating Oil Delivery Overview

185,324 homes in Bergen heat their homes with heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Bergen temperatures drop as low as 28.8° F each winter. 5.2% of Bergen residences rely on fuel oil delivery each winter.

2.6% of Bergen County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Bergen County Households	Bergen County Heating Oil Households
7.1M	185,324

743 Bergen Heating Oil Companies Homeowners Can Count On

With 169,797,916 gallons of oil delivered to Bergen families the last heating season, the Bergen community depends on its 743 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. Oil delivery can be summed up in two steps: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of Bergen, two of the closest terminals are Sunoco in Linden, NJ and Sunoco in Linden, NJ. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to residences and companies throughout Bergen and the surrounding region.

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