Cheapest Essex County Heating Oil Price History
Updated on March 3, 2026 at 01:00 PM
| Date | Price |
|---|---|
| 03/03/2026 | $3.849 |
| 03/02/2026 | $3.551 |
| 03/01/2026 | $3.561 |
| 02/28/2026 | $3.561 |
| 02/27/2026 | $3.561 |
| 02/26/2026 | $3.561 |
| 02/25/2026 | $3.569 |
| 02/24/2026 | $3.551 |
| 02/23/2026 | $3.551 |
| 02/22/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/21/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/20/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/19/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/18/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/17/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/16/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/15/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/14/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/13/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/12/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/11/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/10/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/09/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/08/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/07/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/06/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/05/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/04/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/03/2026 | $3.499 |
| 02/02/2026 | $3.499 |
Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Essex Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Families have a variety of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in Essex, used by 2,627,206 or 74% of households. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Essex residents is Electricity, used by 617,773 homes (17%). The other homes are heated with Heating Oil (5%), Propane (2%), Other (0.4%), and Solar (0.3%).
Essex 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 Essex
Heating oil has become less popular in Essex. In the 7 years since 2018, the number of families using oil decreased from 258,889 to 185,324, a 28% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Essex
Between 2018 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel ramped up from 67,930 to 70,406, a 4% change. Comparing 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel grew from 2,435,183 to 2,627,206, a 8% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Essex
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more prevalent in Essex. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 437,888 to 617,773, a 41% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Essex
Out of all fuels, solar is the safest for the environment. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid flows between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank (similar to a hot water heater) in the basement. Today, 11,798 homes in Essex are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 155% gain from 2018, when 4,626 homes incorporated active solar heating.
Essex County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Essex County homeowners purchased a total of 10 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Essex’s overall oil consumption fluctuates from year to year based on the severity of the winter. As the temperature outside dips, homes’ boilers need to burn more and more heating oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Essex was 33.5°F, which was 4.7°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Essex County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 33.5° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 38.2° F |
Essex County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Essex households heating with oil, selecting which of the 26 heating oil companies that serve Essex makes a big difference.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who want a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 21 “full-service” oil companies that serve Essex. Full service companies such as Advantage Oil or Advantage Oil offer customers annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and furnace 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: Often called “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for households who are budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the number two heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. Examples of 2 Essex cash heating oil companies serving Essex include Affordable Oil and Deinrich Fuel Oil Inc.
Essex Oil Company Statistics: Oil Companies Serving Essex: 26 companies .
Average Number of Essex Households Served per Number Two Heating Oil company : 7128
Essex Heating Oil Delivery Overview
185,324 families in Essex heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Essex temperatures drop as low as 28.8° F each winter. 5% of Essex homes depend on heating oil delivery each winter.
2.61% of Essex County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Essex County Households | Essex County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 7.1M | 185,324 |
464 Essex Number Two Heating Oil Companies You Can Trust
With 169,797,916.341 gallons of heating oil delivered to Essex houses during this past winter, the Essex community depends on its 464 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. Oil delivery is a two step process: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of Essex, 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 Essex and the surrounding vicinity.
