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

Homeowners have a variety of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in Middlesex, used by 2,627,206 or 74% of households. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Middlesex households 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%).

Middlesex 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 Middlesex

Number two heating oil has become less popular in Middlesex. In the 10 years since 2015, the number of residents using fuel oil decreased from 299,222 to 185,324, a 38% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Middlesex

Between 2015 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel shot up from 61,082 to 70,406, a 15% change. Comparing 2015 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel increased from 2,398,744 to 2,627,206, a 10% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Middlesex

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Middlesex. Since 2015, the number of homes heating with electricity ramped up from 385,792 to 617,773, a 60% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Middlesex

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 Middlesex are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 562% gain from 2015, when 1,781 homes used active solar heating.

Middlesex County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Middlesex County homeowners purchased a total of 8 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Middlesex’s overall heating oil usage changes yearly correlating with how cold it gets each winter. As the temperature outside gets more chilly, homes’ HVAC systems need to burn more and more number two heating oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Middlesex was 33.5°F, which was 4.7°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Middlesex County Average Winter Temperature

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

Middlesex County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Middlesex homeowners heating with fuel oil, picking which of the 36 heating oil companies that serve Middlesex is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who want a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 39 “full-service” oil companies that serve Middlesex. Full service companies such as Skylands Energy Service or Skylands Energy Service offer homeowners annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic number two heating oil delivery and boiler 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 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 households who are on a budget. 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 the oil gauge dips below a quarter tank. Some of the 2 Middlesex cash heating oil companies serving Middlesex include Jacquar Fuel Oil and K W Rastall Inc.

Middlesex Oil Company Statistics: Heating oil Companies Serving Middlesex: 36 companies .
Average Number of Middlesex Houses Served per Heating Oil company : 5148

Middlesex Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

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

474 Middlesex Heating Oil Companies Serving The Community

With 169,797,916 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Middlesex households during this past winter, the Middlesex community relies on its 474 oil companies when temperatures dip. Oil delivery has two parts to it: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of Middlesex, 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 Middlesex and the surrounding region.