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

Residences have a choice of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in Morris, used by 2,627,206 or 74% of residents. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Morris households is Electricity, used by 617,773 homes (17%). The rest of the homes are heated with Heating Oil (5%), Propane (2%), Other (0.4%), and Solar (0.3%).

Morris 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 Morris

Number two heating oil has become less popular in Morris. In the 6 years since 2019, the number of households using heating oil declined from 241,742 to 185,324, a 23% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Morris

Between 2019 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel dropped from 71,419 to 70,406, a 1% change. Comparing 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 2,474,295 to 2,627,206, a 6% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Morris

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are increasing in demand in Morris. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 448,114 to 617,773, a 38% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Morris

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. Now, 11,798 homes in Morris are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 123% gain from 2019, when 5,284 homes incorporated active solar heating.

Morris County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Morris County homeowners purchased a total of 18 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Morris’s overall oil consumption fluctuates from year to year correlating with how cold it gets each winter. As the temperature outside gets more chilly, homes’ heating systems need to burn increasing amounts of heating oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Morris was 33.5°F, which was 4.7°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Morris County Average Winter Temperature

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

Morris County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Morris families heating with heating oil, picking which of the 34 heating oil companies that serve Morris makes a big difference.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who can afford a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select one of the 78 “full-service” oil companies that serve Morris. Full service companies such as Patriot Discount Oil or Skylands Energy Service offer homeowners annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and boiler repair. With an automatic oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s fuel 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: Often called “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for families who are on a budget. With discount oil companies, in exchange for lower 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 Morris cash heating oil companies serving Morris include Affordable Oil and Longhorn Oil Company.

Morris Oil Company By The Numbers: Oil Companies Serving Morris: 34 companies .
Average Number of Morris Houses Served per Fuel Oil company : 5451

Morris Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

Morris County HouseholdsMorris County Heating Oil Households
7.1M185,324

678 Morris Oil Companies Homeowners Can Count On

With 169,797,916 gallons of number two heating oil delivered to Morris residences the last heating season, the Morris community relies on its 678 oil companies to keep warm throughout the winter. 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 Morris, two of the closest terminals are Sunoco in Linden, NJ and Sunoco in Linden, NJ. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses throughout Morris and the surrounding region.