Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Natural gas is the most popular choice in Salem County, used by 2,618,092 or 74.00% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Salem 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).
Salem County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households
Fuel | Salem 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 Salem County. In the 8 years since 2014, the number of heating oil homes fell from 353,791 to 258,381, a 26.97% drop.
Salem 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 2014 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 61,808 to 91,132.
Between 2014 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 2,364,588 to 2,618,092.
Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Salem County. Since 2014, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 371,797 to 532,344, a 43.18% 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 Salem County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 678.56% increase from 2014, when only 942 homes had installed active solar heating.