Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Essex County, used by 2,618,092 or 74.00% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Essex County homeowners is electricity, used by 532,344 homes (15.05%). The remaining homes are heated with heating oil (258,381), propane (91,132), no fuel (30,011), and other fuels (40,620).
Essex County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Essex County Households | % of Households |
---|---|---|
Natural Gas | 2.6M | 74.00% |
Electricity | 532,344 | 15.05% |
Heating Oil | 258,381 | 7.30% |
Propane | 91,132 | 2.58% |
No Fuel | 30,011 | 0.85% |
Other Fuels | 19,813 | 0.56% |
Wood | 12,502 | 0.35% |
Solar | 7,334 | 0.21% |
Coal | 971 | 0.03% |
Natural gas (74.00)
Electricity (15.05)
Heating oil (7.30)
Propane (2.58)
No fuel (0.85)
Other fuels (0.56)
Wood (0.35)
Solar (0.21)
Coal (0.03)
Heating oil has become less popular in Essex County. In the 4 years since 2018, the number of heating oil homes fell from 284,056 to 258,381, a 9.04% drop.
Essex County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)
Year | Heating Oil Households |
---|---|
2011 | 420,231 |
2012 | 397,731 |
2013 | 374,390 |
2014 | 353,791 |
2015 | 336,160 |
2016 | 314,964 |
2017 | 298,525 |
2018 | 284,056 |
2019 | 271,250 |
2020 | 260,383 |
2021 | 256,421 |
2022 | 258,381 |
Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 63,138 to 91,132.
Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,411,472 to 2,618,092.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Essex County. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 408,397 to 532,344, a 30.35% 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, 7,334 homes in Essex County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 136.58% increase from 2018, when only 3,100 homes had installed active solar heating.