Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Sussex County Home Heating Fuel Comparison
Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Sussex County, used by 3,119,786 or 64.85% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Sussex 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).
Sussex County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
| Fuel | Sussex 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 Sussex County
Heating oil has become less popular in Sussex County. In the 5 years since 2017, the number of heating oil homes fell from 104,197 to 100,023, a 4.01% drop.
Sussex 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 Sussex County
Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 241,183 to 272,855.
Between 2017 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 3,057,577 to 3,119,786.
Electricity use for home heating in Sussex County
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Sussex County. Since 2017, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,080,218 to 1,213,218, a 12.31% increase.
Solar use for home heating in Sussex 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 Sussex County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 23.88% increase from 2017, when only 913 homes had installed active solar heating.
