Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in New Jersey, used by 2,223,446 or 75.05% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for New Jersey homeowners is electricity, used by 449,355 homes (15.17%). The remaining homes are heated with heating oil (189,055), propane (71,413), no fuel (27,236), and other fuels (28,815).

New Jersey Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	New Jersey Households	% of Households
Natural Gas	2.2M	75.05%
Electricity	449,355	15.17%
Heating Oil	189,055	6.38%
Propane	71,413	2.41%
No Fuel	27,236	0.92%
Other Fuels	16,294	0.55%
Wood	6,739	0.23%
Solar	5,171	0.17%
Coal	611	0.02%

Natural gas (75.05)

Electricity (15.17)

Heating oil (6.38)

Propane (2.41)

No fuel (0.92)

Other fuels (0.55)

Wood (0.23)

Solar (0.17)

Coal (0.02)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in New Jersey

Heating oil has become less popular in New Jersey. In the 3 years since 2019, the number of heating oil homes fell from 201,467 to 189,055, a 6.16% drop.

New Jersey Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	325,772
2012	306,439
2013	286,901
2014	269,931
2015	254,930
2016	237,692
2017	224,067
2018	212,096
2019	201,467
2020	191,671
2021	188,076
2022	189,055

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in New Jersey

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 48,630 to 71,413.

Between 2019 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,066,317 to 2,223,446.

Electricity use for home heating in New Jersey

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in New Jersey. Since 2019, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 349,027 to 449,355, a 28.75% increase.

Solar use for home heating in New Jersey

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, 5,171 homes in New Jersey are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 92.66% increase from 2019, when only 2,684 homes had installed active solar heating.

New Jersey Heating Oil Trends

Short Term Trends

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2022 - 2023	46.2° F
Winter 2021 - 2022	40.2° F

New Jersey Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For New Jersey homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 286 heating oil companies that serve New Jersey 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 6 “full-service” oil companies that serve New Jersey. Full service companies such as Globe Petroleum or Lawes Home Comfort 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey include Jacquar Fuel Oil and Central New Jersey Heating Oil Inc.

New Jersey Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving New Jersey: 286 companies

Average Number Of New Jersey Homes Served Per Company: 661 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per New Jersey Oil Company: 593,699 gallons per year