Homes have a choice of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most popular choice in Union, used by 2,627,206 or 74% of residents. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Union homeowners 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%).

Union 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 Union

Number two heating oil has become less frequently used in Union. In the 9 years since 2016, the number of households using fuel oil decreased from 271,179 to 185,324, a 32% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Union

Between 2016 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel increased from 59,916 to 70,406, a 18% change. Comparing 2016 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel jumped from 2,389,530 to 2,627,206, a 10% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Union

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are increasing in demand in Union. Since 2016, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 423,650 to 617,773, a 46% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Union

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 Union are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 267% gain from 2016, when 3,212 homes had active solar heating.

Union County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Union County homeowners purchased a total of 7 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Union’s overall oil usage fluctuates from year to year depending on winter temperatures. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ HVAC systems need to burn additional fuel oil to maintain a constant interior temperature. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Union was 33.5°F, which was 4.7°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Union County Average Winter Temperature

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

Union County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Union residences heating with heating oil, picking which of the 29 heating oil companies that serve Union can drastically impact the cost of home heating.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who prefer a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system select one of the 18 “full-service” oil companies that serve Union. Full service companies such as Advantage 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 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 household 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 customers who are budget-conscious. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the number two heating oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order when you're running low. A few of the 2 Union cash heating oil companies serving Union include Affordable Oil and Longhorn Oil Company.

Union Heating Oil Company Fast Facts: Fuel oil Companies Serving Union: 29 companies .
Average Number of Union Houses Served per Fuel Oil company : 6390

Union Heating Oil Delivery Overview

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

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

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

489 Union Fuel Oil Companies You Can Trust

With 169,797,916 gallons of fuel oil delivered to Union residences during this past winter, the Union community looks to its 489 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 Union, 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 Union and the surrounding area.

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