Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Essex County, used by 1,462,335 or 52.38% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Essex County homeowners is heating oil, used by 663,749 homes (23.78%). The remaining homes are heated with electricity (490,395), propane (123,474), wood (34,021), and other fuels (50,956).
Essex County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Essex County Households | % of Households |
---|---|---|
Natural Gas | 1.4M | 52.38% |
Heating Oil | 663,749 | 23.78% |
Electricity | 490,395 | 17.57% |
Propane | 123,474 | 4.42% |
Wood | 34,021 | 1.22% |
Other Fuels | 24,655 | 0.88% |
No Fuel | 19,283 | 0.69% |
Solar | 5,465 | 0.20% |
Coal | 1,553 | 0.06% |
Natural gas (52.38)
Heating oil (23.78)
Electricity (17.57)
Propane (4.42)
Wood (1.22)
Other fuels (0.88)
No fuel (0.69)
Solar (0.20)
Coal (0.06)
Heating oil has become less popular in Essex County. In the 7 years since 2015, the number of heating oil homes fell from 746,949 to 663,749, a 11.14% drop.
Essex County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
Year | Heating Oil Households |
---|---|
2011 | 851,319 |
2012 | 827,983 |
2013 | 798,470 |
2014 | 770,791 |
2015 | 746,949 |
2016 | 723,433 |
2017 | 707,835 |
2018 | 690,486 |
2019 | 678,224 |
2020 | 667,484 |
2021 | 662,876 |
2022 | 663,749 |
Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 75,169 to 123,474.
Between 2015 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,278,152 to 1,462,335.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Essex County. Since 2015, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 374,166 to 490,395, a 31.06% increase.
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, 5,465 homes in Essex County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 419.49% increase from 2015, when only 1,052 homes had installed active solar heating.