Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Gloucester Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Residences have a host of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in Gloucester, used by 2,627,206 or 74% of households. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Gloucester families 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%).
Gloucester County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (No. 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 Gloucester
Oil has become losing popularity in Gloucester. In the 7 years since 2018, the number of families using fuel oil decreased from 258,889 to 185,324, a 28% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Gloucester
Between 2018 and today, the number of houses 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 jumped from 2,435,183 to 2,627,206, a 8% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Gloucester
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Gloucester. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity increased from 437,888 to 617,773, a 41% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Gloucester
The most eco-friendly heating option is solar. 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. Today, 11,798 homes in Gloucester are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 155% gain from 2018, when 4,626 homes had active solar heating.
Gloucester County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Gloucester County homeowners purchased a total of 2 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Gloucester’s overall fuel oil consumption changes from year to year as winter conditions change. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ heating systems need to burn additional fuel oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Gloucester was 33.5°F, which was 4.7°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Gloucester County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 33.5° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 38.2° F |
Gloucester County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Gloucester homeowners heating with heating oil, selecting which of the 7 heating oil companies that serve Gloucester is an important decision.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who can afford a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 0 “full-service” oil companies that serve Gloucester. Full service companies such as or offer clients annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic oil delivery and heating system repair. With an automatic oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The client 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 homeowners who are budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the fuel oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. Some of the 2 Gloucester cash heating oil companies serving Gloucester include SJ Fuel South Co Inc and Bottom Dollar Heating Oil.
Gloucester Number Two Heating Oil Company By The Numbers: Heating oil Companies Serving Gloucester: 7 companies .
Average Number of Gloucester Households Served per Fuel Oil company : 26475
Gloucester Heating Oil Delivery Overview
185,324 homes in Gloucester heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Gloucester temperatures drop as low as 28.8° F each winter. 5.2% of Gloucester houses rely on oil delivery each winter.
2.6% of Gloucester County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Gloucester County Households | Gloucester County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 7.1M | 185,324 |
34 Gloucester Fuel Oil Companies You Can Bank On
With 169,797,916 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Gloucester homes last winter, the Gloucester community depends on its 34 oil companies when temperatures dip. 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 Gloucester, two of the closest terminals are Sunoco in Linden, NJ and Sunoco in Linden, NJ. Then, the truck delivers the oil to residences and companies throughout Gloucester and the surrounding area.
