Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Essex County Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Essex County, used by 3,119,786 or 64.85% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Essex County homeowners is electricity, used by 1,213,218 homes (25.22%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (272,855), heating oil (100,023), wood (81,253), and other fuels (43,475).
Essex County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
| Fuel | Essex County Households | % of Households |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Gas | 3.1M | 64.9% |
| Electricity | 1.2M | 25.2% |
| Propane | 272,855 | 5.7% |
| Heating Oil | 100,023 | 2.1% |
| Wood | 81,253 | 1.7% |
| Other Fuels | 43,475 | 0.9% |
| No Fuel | 27,402 | 0.6% |
| Coal | 3,017 | 0.1% |
| Solar | 1,131 | 0.0% |
Natural gas (64.9%)
Electricity (25.2%)
Propane (5.7%)
Heating oil (2.1%)
Wood (1.7%)
Other fuels (0.9%)
No fuel (0.6%)
Coal (0.1%)
Solar (0.0%)
#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Essex County
Heating oil has become less popular in Essex County. In the 8 years since 2014, the number of heating oil homes fell from 119,022 to 100,023, a 15.96% drop.
Essex County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
| Year | Heating Oil Households |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 141,038 |
| 2012 | 132,252 |
| 2013 | 125,428 |
| 2014 | 119,022 |
| 2015 | 113,013 |
| 2016 | 107,419 |
| 2017 | 104,197 |
| 2018 | 101,487 |
| 2019 | 99,323 |
| 2020 | 95,712 |
| 2021 | 92,977 |
| 2022 | 100,023 |
Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Essex County
Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 240,332 to 272,855.
Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 3,056,567 to 3,119,786.
Electricity use for home heating in Essex County
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Essex County. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,007,354 to 1,213,218, a 20.44% increase.
Solar use for home heating in Essex County
Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all space heating fuels. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid is circulated between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank in the basement.
Currently, 1,131 homes in Essex County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 16.96% increase from 2014, when only 967 homes had installed active solar heating.
