Households have a choice of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the preferred choice in Hunterdon, used by 2,627,206 or 74% of homeowners. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Hunterdon 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%).

Hunterdon 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 Hunterdon

Heating oil has become losing popularity in Hunterdon. In the 3 years since 2022, the number of households using oil dropped from 231,690 to 185,324, a 20% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Hunterdon

Between 2022 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel decreased 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 jumped from 2,560,329 to 2,627,206, a 3% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Hunterdon

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are gaining popularity in Hunterdon. Since 2022, the number of homes heating with electricity increased from 568,299 to 617,773, a 9% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Hunterdon

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. Today, 11,798 homes in Hunterdon are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 49% gain from 2022, when 7,925 homes had active solar heating.

Hunterdon County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Hunterdon County homeowners purchased a total of 11 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Hunterdon’s overall oil usage changes yearly based on the severity of the winter. As the temperature outside dips, homes’ furnaces need to burn increasing amounts of oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Hunterdon was 33.5°F, which was 4.7°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Hunterdon County Average Winter Temperature

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

Hunterdon County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Hunterdon households heating with heating oil, selecting which of the 11 heating oil companies that serve Hunterdon makes a big difference.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who prefer a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select one of the 42 “full-service” oil companies that serve Hunterdon. Full service companies such as Patriot Discount Oil or PFO Heating & Air Conditioning offer clients annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic oil delivery and furnace repair. With an automatic number two heating 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: also referred to as “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for homeowners who are looking to save money. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. Examples of 2 Hunterdon cash heating oil companies serving Hunterdon include Stem Bros Inc and Stockton Fuel Oil Inc.

Hunterdon Oil Company Fast Facts: Fuel oil Companies Serving Hunterdon: 11 companies .
Average Number of Hunterdon Houses Served per Heating Oil company : 16848

Hunterdon Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

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

116 Hunterdon Number Two Heating Oil Companies Homeowners Can Count On

With 169,797,916 gallons of heating oil delivered to Hunterdon homes during this past winter, the Hunterdon community depends on its 116 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 Hunterdon, 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 Hunterdon and the surrounding region.

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