Something went wrong
hamburger menu icon
User Icon

Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Hudson Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Households have a choice of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the preferred choice in Hudson, used by 2,627,206 or 74% of households. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Hudson 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%).

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

YearNatural GasPropaneElectricityOilWoodSolarOther
20252,627,20670,406617,773185,32410,68811,79814,006
20242,623,42866,233592,186198,05010,22310,92613,381
20232,552,59395,605606,537215,31410,7499,38820,755
20222,560,32989,511568,299231,69010,0547,92517,145
20212,545,03887,258555,363240,7659,8207,64319,506
20202,509,66679,338501,738241,25410,0946,46416,414
20192,474,29571,419448,114241,74210,3685,28413,323
20182,435,18367,930437,888258,88912,0694,62614,313
20172,425,00862,490415,119271,26511,9944,80112,938
20162,389,53059,916423,650271,17913,4663,21214,924
20152,398,74461,082385,792299,22214,3981,78112,721
20142,393,42362,396384,329309,23614,4711,74813,957
20132,354,82460,943388,226329,73317,4211,27010,710
20122,368,22260,990377,997356,37813,9741,00210,889
20112,342,60858,315360,855376,56811,8693327,917
20102,344,45563,241343,112392,54011,8863258,439

Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Hudson

Fuel oil has become less frequently used in Hudson. In the 3 years since 2022, the number of residents using heating oil fell from 231,690 to 185,324, a 20% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Hudson

Between 2022 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel declined from 89,511 to 70,406, a 21% change. Comparing 2022 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,560,329 to 2,627,206, a 3% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Hudson

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Hudson. Since 2022, the number of homes heating with electricity jumped from 568,299 to 617,773, a 9% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Hudson

Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all 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 (similar to a hot water heater) in the basement. Currently, 11,798 homes in Hudson are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 49% gain from 2022, when 7,925 homes used active solar heating.

Hudson County Heating Oil Trends

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

Short Term Trends

Hudson’s overall oil usage changes annually primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside gets more chilly, homes’ boilers need to burn additional number two heating oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Hudson was 33.5°F, which was 4.7°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Hudson County Average Winter Temperature

Heating SeasonAverage Temperature
2024 - 202533.5° F
2023 - 202438.2° F

Hudson County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

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

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who value a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select one of the 0 “full-service” oil companies that serve Hudson. Full service companies such as or offer households annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and heating system repair. With an automatic oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s number two heating oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The household 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 heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. Some of the 2 Hudson cash heating oil companies serving Hudson include Deinrich Fuel Oil Inc and National Fuel Oil Inc.

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

Hudson Heating Oil Delivery Overview

185,324 houses in Hudson heat their homes with oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Hudson temperatures drop as low as 28.8° F each winter. 5.2% of Hudson households are reliant on number two heating oil delivery each winter.

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

Hudson County HouseholdsHudson County Heating Oil Households
7.1M185,324

198 Hudson Number Two Heating Oil Companies Serving The Community

With 169,797,916 gallons of oil delivered to Hudson families last winter, the Hudson community depends on its 198 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 Hudson, two of the closest terminals are Sunoco in Linden, NJ and Sunoco in Linden, NJ. Then, the truck delivers the fuel oil to residences and companies throughout Hudson and the surrounding area.