Propane vs heating oil
Across the U.S. this week, propane is the cheaper heat: $35.12 against $52.95 per million Btu delivered. For a typical home in an average U.S. winter that is a difference of about $760.
Propane is cheaper in 47 of the 49 states compared; heating oil in 2.
Break-even price
$4.12
Propane is the cheaper heat when it costs less than this per gallon. Assumes 85% efficiency for propane and 85% efficiency for heating oil.
State by state
Typical winter: a 2,000 sq ft home of average insulation in that state’s normal heating season. Italic prices are regional or U.S. averages where EIA does not survey the state.
| Alabama | $3.63/gallon | $6.23/gallon | $1,246 | $1,413 | Propane by $167 |
| Arizona | $2.73/gallon | $6.23/gallon | $674 | $1,016 | Propane by $342 |
| Arkansas | $2.48/gallon | $6.23/gallon | $1,081 | $1,797 | Propane by $716 |
| California | $2.73/gallon | $6.23/gallon | $988 | $1,490 | Propane by $502 |
| Colorado | $2.37/gallon | $6.23/gallon | $2,152 | $3,734 | Propane by $1,582 |
| Connecticut | $4.32/gallon | $6.15/gallon | $3,246 | $3,055 | Heating oil by $191 |
| Delaware | $3.81/gallon | $6.44/gallon | $2,196 | $2,450 | Propane by $254 |
| District of Columbia | $3.64/gallon | $6.32/gallon | $2,137 | $2,449 | Propane by $312 |
| Florida | $4.97/gallon | $5.96/gallon | $413 | $326 | Heating oil by $87 |
| Georgia | $3.28/gallon | $5.96/gallon | $1,184 | $1,420 | Propane by $236 |
| Idaho | $2.69/gallon | $6.23/gallon | $2,374 | $3,638 | Propane by $1,264 |
| Illinois | $1.95/gallon | $6.22/gallon | $1,530 | $3,226 | Propane by $1,696 |
| Indiana | $2.62/gallon | $6.50/gallon | $1,894 | $3,107 | Propane by $1,213 |
| Iowa | $1.75/gallon | $5.89/gallon | $1,532 | $3,413 | Propane by $1,881 |
| Kansas | $2.10/gallon | $6.22/gallon | $1,318 | $2,577 | Propane by $1,259 |
| Kentucky | $2.84/gallon | $5.87/gallon | $1,604 | $2,193 | Propane by $589 |
| Louisiana | $3.03/gallon | $6.23/gallon | $643 | $875 | Propane by $232 |
| Maine | $3.68/gallon | $6.04/gallon | $3,673 | $3,982 | Propane by $309 |
| Maryland | $3.86/gallon | $6.43/gallon | $2,266 | $2,492 | Propane by $226 |
| Massachusetts | $3.72/gallon | $6.25/gallon | $2,933 | $3,258 | Propane by $325 |
| Michigan | $2.46/gallon | $6.19/gallon | $2,133 | $3,549 | Propane by $1,416 |
| Minnesota | $2.05/gallon | $5.95/gallon | $2,250 | $4,311 | Propane by $2,061 |
| Mississippi | $3.15/gallon | $6.23/gallon | $967 | $1,264 | Propane by $297 |
| Missouri | $2.23/gallon | $6.22/gallon | $1,432 | $2,632 | Propane by $1,200 |
| Montana | $2.18/gallon | $6.23/gallon | $2,396 | $4,526 | Propane by $2,130 |
| Nebraska | $1.83/gallon | $5.72/gallon | $1,475 | $3,054 | Propane by $1,579 |
| Nevada | $2.73/gallon | $6.23/gallon | $1,212 | $1,828 | Propane by $616 |
| New Hampshire | $3.90/gallon | $6.07/gallon | $3,741 | $3,839 | Propane by $98 |
| New Jersey | $4.10/gallon | $6.38/gallon | $2,725 | $2,802 | Propane by $77 |
| New Mexico | $3.03/gallon | $6.23/gallon | $1,738 | $2,363 | Propane by $625 |
| New York | $3.79/gallon | $6.44/gallon | $2,929 | $3,283 | Propane by $354 |
| North Carolina | $3.64/gallon | $5.84/gallon | $1,572 | $1,667 | Propane by $95 |
| North Dakota | $1.75/gallon | $6.22/gallon | $2,062 | $4,854 | Propane by $2,792 |
| Ohio | $2.70/gallon | $6.41/gallon | $1,975 | $3,095 | Propane by $1,120 |
| Oklahoma | $2.38/gallon | $6.22/gallon | $1,084 | $1,868 | Propane by $784 |
| Oregon | $2.73/gallon | $6.23/gallon | $1,850 | $2,789 | Propane by $939 |
| Pennsylvania | $3.21/gallon | $6.05/gallon | $2,353 | $2,928 | Propane by $575 |
| Rhode Island | $4.12/gallon | $6.40/gallon | $3,050 | $3,130 | Propane by $80 |
| South Carolina | $3.70/gallon | $5.96/gallon | $1,231 | $1,309 | Propane by $78 |
| South Dakota | $1.95/gallon | $6.22/gallon | $1,916 | $4,035 | Propane by $2,119 |
| Tennessee | $3.28/gallon | $6.22/gallon | $1,582 | $1,983 | Propane by $401 |
| Texas | $3.18/gallon | $6.23/gallon | $745 | $964 | Propane by $219 |
| Utah | $2.47/gallon | $6.23/gallon | $2,213 | $3,695 | Propane by $1,482 |
| Vermont | $3.93/gallon | $6.10/gallon | $4,075 | $4,173 | Propane by $98 |
| Virginia | $3.80/gallon | $6.04/gallon | $2,079 | $2,185 | Propane by $106 |
| Washington | $2.73/gallon | $6.23/gallon | $1,970 | $2,970 | Propane by $1,000 |
| West Virginia | $3.70/gallon | $5.96/gallon | $2,411 | $2,563 | Propane by $152 |
| Wisconsin | $2.01/gallon | $6.14/gallon | $1,944 | $3,927 | Propane by $1,983 |
| Wyoming | $2.38/gallon | $6.23/gallon | $2,515 | $4,355 | Propane by $1,840 |
21 states have state-level prices for both fuels.
Why per-gallon prices mislead
A gallon of heating oil holds 138,500 Btu, a gallon of propane 91,452 Btu, a therm of natural gas 100,000 Btu and a kilowatt-hour of electricity 3,412 Btu (EIA heat contents). Then the equipment loses some of it: a typical oil or propane furnace delivers about 85%, a gas furnace 90%, while a heat pump moves 2.5 units of heat for every unit of electricity over a season.
So the break-even rule for propane against heating oil is simple: propane wins when its price per gallon is below 0.660× the price of heating oil per gallon.
Equipment, installation and maintenance costs are not part of this comparison. Methodology.
