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Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Hamilton County Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Hamilton County, used by 3,119,789 or 64.85% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Hamilton 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 (75,025).

Hamilton County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

FuelHamilton County Households % of Households
Natural Gas3.1M64.9%
Electricity1.2M25.2%
Propane272,8555.7%
Heating Oil100,0232.1%
Wood81,2531.7%
Other Fuels43,4750.9%
No Fuel27,4020.6%
Coal3,0170.1%
Solar1,1310.0%

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 Hamilton County

Heating oil has become less popular in Hamilton County. In the 10 years since 2012, the number of heating oil homes fell from 132,252 to 100,023, a 24.37% drop.

Hamilton County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

YearHeating Oil Households
2011141,038
2012132,252
2013125,428
2014119,022
2015113,013
2016107,419
2017104,197
2018101,487
201999,323
202095,712
202192,977
2022100,023

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Hamilton County

Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 248,927 to 272,855.

Between 2012 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 3,078,517 to 3,119,789.

Electricity use for home heating in Hamilton County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Hamilton County. Since 2012, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 957,069 to 1,213,218, a 26.76% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Hamilton 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 Hamilton County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 28.23% increase from 2012, when only 882 homes had installed active solar heating.

Hamilton County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Hamilton County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 8 heating oil companies that serve Hamilton County is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 0 “full-service” oil companies that serve Hamilton County. Full service companies such as undefined or undefined offer automatic fuel delivery and furnace repair under a single roof.

Discount Oil Companies: Also known by the names “COD Fuel Companies” or “Cash Heating Oil Companies”, these companies are for the budget-conscious Hamilton County homeowner. In return for better prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank and place an order when you run low on oil. Examples of cash heating oil companies that serve Hamilton County include Arnolds Marathon and Adams Heating & Cooling.

Hamilton County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Hamilton County: 8 companies

Average Number Of Hamilton County Homes Served Per Company: 614 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Hamilton County Oil Company: 389,262 gallons per year

Hamilton County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

Approximately 4,917 households in Hamilton County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Hamilton County temperatures drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

1% of Hamilton County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Hamilton County HouseholdsHamilton County Heating Oil Households
359,1084,917

28 Hamilton County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 3 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Hamilton County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Hamilton County community relies on its 28 oil companies to keep warm.

Oil delivery is a two step process: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal. In the case of Hamilton County, two of the closest terminals are Citgo in Linden, NJ and Citgo in Linden, NJ. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Hamilton County.