Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Warren Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Homes have a choice of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Natural Gas is the most popular choice in Warren, used by 2,627,206 or 74% of households. The next most popular primary heating fuel for Warren residents 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%).
Warren County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (in Number 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 Warren
Fuel oil has become decreasing in demand in Warren. 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 Warren
Between 2015 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose 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 ramped up from 2,398,744 to 2,627,206, a 10% change.
Electricity use for home heating in Warren
Electric heat pump systems for home heating are more prevalent in Warren. Since 2015, the number of homes heating with electricity increased from 385,792 to 617,773, a 60% change.
Adoption of solar home heating systems in Warren
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. As it stands today, 11,798 homes in Warren are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 562% gain from 2015, when 1,781 homes utilized active solar heating.
Warren County Heating Oil Trends
Last year, Warren County homeowners purchased a total of 5 million gallons of heating oil.
Short Term Trends
Warren’s overall oil use fluctuates each year based on the severity of the winter. As the temperature outside drops, homes’ boilers need to burn additional fuel oil to keep the house warm inside. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Warren was 33.5°F, which was 4.7°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.
Warren County Average Winter Temperature
| Heating Season | Average Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | 33.5° F |
| 2023 - 2024 | 38.2° F |
Warren County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company
For Warren homeowners heating with number two heating oil, picking which of the 8 heating oil companies that serve Warren can drastically impact the cost of home heating.
Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who are willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 8 “full-service” oil companies that serve Warren. Full service companies such as Patriot Discount Oil or Patriot Discount Oil offer clients annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic number two heating oil delivery and boiler repair. With an automatic heating 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 referred to as “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for customers who are looking to save money. 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 Warren cash heating oil companies serving Warren include Hackettstown Corporation and FuelRite Petroleum Inc.
Warren Number Two Heating Oil Company Statistics: Oil Companies Serving Warren: 8 companies .
Average Number of Warren Houses Served per Fuel Oil company : 23166
Warren Heating Oil Delivery Overview
185,324 families in Warren heat their homes with heating oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Warren temperatures drop as low as 28.8° F each winter. 5.2% of Warren families are reliant on number two heating oil delivery each winter.
2.6% of Warren County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter
| Warren County Households | Warren County Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 7.1M | 185,324 |
42 Warren Fuel Oil Companies You Can Trust
With 169,797,916 gallons of oil delivered to Warren families last winter, the Warren community relies on its 42 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 Warren, 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 Warren and the surrounding region.