Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Ocean Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Homeowners have a host of fuels that can be used when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most common choice in Ocean, used by 2,627,206 or 74% of families. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Ocean 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%).
Ocean 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 Ocean
Fuel oil has become decreasing in demand in Ocean. In the 3 years since 2022, the number of homeowners using fuel oil fell from 231,690 to 185,324, a 20% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Ocean
Between 2022 and today, the number of homes 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 shot up from 2,560,329 to 2,627,206, a 3% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Ocean
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more prevalent in Ocean. 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 Ocean
Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all heating fuels. 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. Today, 11,798 homes in Ocean are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 49% gain from 2022, when 7,925 homes had active solar heating.
Ocean County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Ocean County homeowners purchased a total of 2 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Ocean’s overall oil usage fluctuates each year based on the severity of the winter. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ boilers need to burn more and more oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Ocean was 33.5°F, which was 4.7°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Ocean County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 33.5° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 38.2° F |
Ocean County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Ocean homes heating with oil, selecting which of the 4 heating oil companies that serve Ocean is an important decision.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who can afford a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 1 “full-service” oil companies that serve Ocean. Full service companies such as Lawes Home Comfort or offer households annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and furnace repair. With an automatic number two heating 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: also referred to as “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 number two heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order either when the level runs low or just before a major snowstorm. Some of the 2 Ocean cash heating oil companies serving Ocean include Lawes Discount Oil and Point Bay Fuel.
Ocean Fuel Oil Company Fast Facts: Oil Companies Serving Ocean: 4 companies .
Average Number of Ocean Homes Served per Heating Oil company : 46331
Ocean Heating Oil Delivery Overview
185,324 households in Ocean heat their homes with heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Ocean temperatures drop as low as 28.8° F each winter. 5.2% of Ocean households rely on fuel oil delivery each winter.
2.6% of Ocean County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Ocean County Households | Ocean County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 7.1M | 185,324 |
5 Ocean Number Two Heating Oil Companies Homeowners Can Count On
With 169,797,916 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Ocean houses last winter, the Ocean community looks to its 5 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. 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 Ocean, 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 Ocean and the surrounding region.
