Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Passaic County Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Passaic County, used by 3,119,786 or 64.85% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Passaic 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).
Passaic County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
| Fuel | Passaic 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 Passaic County
Heating oil has become less popular in Passaic County. In the 9 years since 2013, the number of heating oil homes fell from 125,428 to 100,023, a 20.25% drop.
Passaic 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 Passaic County
Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 244,858 to 272,855.
Between 2013 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 3,060,863 to 3,119,786.
Electricity use for home heating in Passaic County
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Passaic County. Since 2013, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 983,587 to 1,213,218, a 23.35% increase.
Solar use for home heating in Passaic 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 Passaic County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 23.61% increase from 2013, when only 915 homes had installed active solar heating.
