Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Mercer Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Households have a variety of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in Mercer, used by 2,627,206 or 74% of residents. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Mercer homeowners 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%).
Mercer 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 Mercer
Heating oil has become decreasing in demand in Mercer. In the 3 years since 2022, the number of families using heating oil fell from 231,690 to 185,324, a 20% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Mercer
Between 2022 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel dropped 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 ramped up from 2,560,329 to 2,627,206, a 3% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Mercer
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are increasing in demand in Mercer. Since 2022, the number of homes heating with electricity grew from 568,299 to 617,773, a 9% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Mercer
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. As it stands today, 11,798 homes in Mercer are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 49% gain from 2022, when 7,925 homes incorporated active solar heating.
Mercer County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Mercer County homeowners purchased a total of 6 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Mercer’s overall heating oil consumption changes annually correlating with how cold it gets each winter. As the temperature outside drops, homes’ furnaces need to burn increasing amounts of fuel oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Mercer was 33.5°F, which was 4.7°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Mercer County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 33.5° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 38.2° F |
Mercer County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Mercer homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 12 heating oil companies that serve Mercer is an important decision.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who prefer a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 13 “full-service” oil companies that serve Mercer. Full service companies such as PFO Heating & Air Conditioning or PFO Heating & Air Conditioning offer homeowners 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 heating oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The homeowner 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 return for better prices, you monitor the fuel 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 Mercer cash heating oil companies serving Mercer include Jacquar Fuel Oil and K W Rastall Inc.
Mercer Fuel Oil Company By The Numbers: Oil Companies Serving Mercer: 12 companies .
Average Number of Mercer Households Served per Heating Oil company : 15444
Mercer Heating Oil Delivery Overview
185,324 houses in Mercer heat their homes with number two heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Mercer temperatures drop as low as 28.8° F each winter. 5.2% of Mercer families rely on oil delivery each winter.
2.6% of Mercer County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Mercer County Households | Mercer County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 7.1M | 185,324 |
70 Mercer Oil Companies You Can Bank On
With 169,797,916 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Mercer homes last winter, the Mercer community depends on its 70 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 Mercer, two of the closest terminals are Sunoco in Linden, NJ and Sunoco in Linden, NJ. Then, the truck delivers the oil to homes and businesses throughout Mercer and the surrounding area.
