Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Sussex Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Homeowners have a variety of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the preferred choice in Sussex, used by 2,627,206 or 74% of residents. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Sussex 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%).
Sussex 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 Sussex
Heating oil has become less popular in Sussex. In the 11 years since 2014, the number of homeowners using oil fell from 309,236 to 185,324, a 40% drop.
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Sussex
Between 2014 and today, the number of houses using propane as the primary space heating fuel ramped up from 62,396 to 70,406, a 13% change. Comparing 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel shot up from 2,393,423 to 2,627,206, a 10% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Sussex
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more popular in Sussex. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity ramped up from 384,329 to 617,773, a 61% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Sussex
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 Sussex are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 575% gain from 2014, when 1,748 homes used active solar heating.
Sussex County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Sussex County homeowners purchased a total of 8 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Sussex’s overall number two heating oil use changes each year primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside drops, homes’ furnaces need to burn additional oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Sussex was 33.5°F, which was 4.7°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Sussex County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 33.5° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 38.2° F |
Sussex County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Sussex households heating with number two heating oil, choosing which of the 8 heating oil companies that serve Sussex can drastically impact the cost of home heating.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who value a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 9 “full-service” oil companies that serve Sussex. Full service companies such as NRG Heat & Power or Advantage Oil offer customers annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic fuel oil delivery and HVAC repair. With an automatic 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 customer 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 budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. Some of the 2 Sussex cash heating oil companies serving Sussex include Finch Fuel and Apple Heating Oil.
Sussex Number Two Heating Oil Company Fast Facts: Oil Companies Serving Sussex: 8 companies .
Average Number of Sussex Homes Served per Number Two Heating Oil company : 23166
Sussex Heating Oil Delivery Overview
185,324 residences in Sussex heat their homes with heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Sussex temperatures drop as low as 28.8° F each winter. 5.2% of Sussex homes are reliant on fuel oil delivery each winter.
2.6% of Sussex County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Sussex County Households | Sussex County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 7.1M | 185,324 |
44 Sussex Fuel Oil Companies You Can Trust
With 169,797,916 gallons of oil delivered to Sussex residences last winter, the Sussex community looks to its 44 oil companies to keep their oil tanks full. 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 Sussex, two of the closest terminals are Sunoco in Linden, NJ and Sunoco in Linden, NJ. Then, the truck delivers the number two heating oil to homes and businesses throughout Sussex and the surrounding vicinity.
