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Heating oil prices in Delaware

$6.44per gallon

Average residential price, week of October 26, 2026. Updated weekly by EIA from a survey of Delaware dealers.

How the price moved

Since last week
up+0.4¢ (+0.1%)
Since a year ago
up+$2.48 (+62.9%)
Since the season’s first survey (Oct 5, 2026)
up+24¢ (+3.9%)
Central Atlantic average
$6.32
U.S. average
$6.23

19th cheapest of the 21 states EIA surveys this week.

Is this a high price for Delaware?

Delaware heating oil is the most expensive it has been at this point in the season in at least 10 years: +56¢ above the previous high, set in 2022–23.

Up $2.48 (+62.9%) from a year ago, when it was $3.95.

Price in the same week of each of the last 10 seasons. Dot: this week.

Heating oil delivery, Arlington, Massachusetts
Heating oil delivery, Arlington, Massachusetts
Delaware heating oil this season against the last ten
  • This season (2026–27)
  • Last season (2025–26)
  • Range of the 10 seasons before
$2.00 $3.00 $4.00 $5.00 $6.00 $7.00 OctNovDecJanFebMar $6.44
Show the numbers
WeekThis seasonSame week last season
Oct 5, 2026$6.196$3.969
Oct 12, 2026$6.305$3.928
Oct 19, 2026$6.431$3.921
Oct 26, 2026$6.435$3.951

Cost to fill a heating oil tank in Delaware

A 275-gallon tank refilled from a quarter to 90% takes about 179 gallons: $1,150 at this week’s average.

Oil tanks are rarely filled to the brim; we assume 90% of the nominal size is usable. Gauges read in quarters.

$1,150

for 179 gallons at $6.44 a gallon in Delaware.

  • At last year’s price ($3.95): $706
  • At the Central Atlantic average ($6.32): $1,129
Cost to fill from 25% to 90% at $6.44 a gallon
TankGallons deliveredCost
275 gal179$1,150
330 gal215$1,380
500 gal325$2,091
550 gal358$2,301
1000 gal650$4,183

Cheapest way to heat in Delaware

Cost of one million Btu of heat delivered into the house, after furnace or heat pump efficiency.

  1. Natural gas $18.01 per million Btu

    $16.79/Mcf · 90% efficient · Delaware residential, last winter

  2. Heat pump $21.08 per million Btu

    18.0¢/kWh · COP 2.5 · Delaware residential, year to date

  3. Propane $48.99 per million Btu

    $3.81/gal · 85% efficient · Delaware weekly survey

  4. Electric resistance $52.70 per million Btu

    18.0¢/kWh · 100% efficient · Delaware residential, year to date

  5. Heating oil $54.66 per million Btu

    $6.44/gal · 85% efficient · Delaware weekly survey

Right now natural gas is the cheapest heat here. Full winter cost comparison for Delaware

When heating oil is cheapest

In 4 of the last 10 heating seasons, October was the cheapest month for heating oil in Delaware. The median season ran 10.7% above October by February.

  1. base Oct 4/10
  2. +2.9% Nov 2/10
  3. +3.4% Dec 0/10
  4. +6.8% Jan 1/10
  5. +10.7% Feb 0/10
  6. +8.1% Mar 3/10

Top: median price compared with October across the last 10 complete seasons. Bottom: in how many of those seasons that month had the lowest average price.

Reading the pattern

This is what happened in past winters, not a forecast. Cold snaps, supply problems and crude oil prices can move any single season against the pattern, and heating oil follows diesel and crude oil closely.

Many dealers offer pre-buy or capped-price contracts in late summer. Whether they pay off depends on the winter that follows; the season chart above shows how far prices have moved in past years.

Every heating season since 1996–97
  1. $1.14 1996–97
  2. $0.98 1997–98
  3. $0.88 1998–99
  4. $1.31 1999–00
  5. $1.44 2000–01
  6. $1.18 2001–02
  7. $1.41 2002–03
  8. $1.45 2003–04
  9. $2.03 2004–05
  10. $2.48 2005–06
  11. $2.44 2006–07
  12. $3.28 2007–08
  13. $2.65 2008–09
  14. $2.73 2009–10
  15. $3.22 2010–11
  16. $3.85 2011–12
  17. $3.93 2012–13
  18. $3.89 2013–14
  19. $3.23 2014–15
  20. $2.39 2015–16
  21. $2.51 2016–17
  22. $2.86 2017–18
  23. $3.13 2018–19
  24. $3.13 2019–20
  25. $2.75 2020–21
  26. $3.98 2021–22
  27. $5.23 2022–23
  28. $4.40 2023–24
  29. $3.93 2024–25
  30. $4.43 2025–26

Season average of the weekly survey prices, October–March, in dollars of the day (not adjusted for inflation).

Heating oil across the survey

  1. Nebraska $5.72
  2. North Carolina $5.84
  3. Kentucky $5.87
  4. Iowa $5.89
  5. Minnesota $5.95
  6. Maine $6.04
  7. Virginia $6.04
  8. Pennsylvania $6.05
  9. New Hampshire $6.07
  10. Vermont $6.10
  11. Wisconsin $6.14
  12. Connecticut $6.15
  13. Michigan $6.19
  14. Massachusetts $6.25
  15. New Jersey $6.38
  16. Rhode Island $6.40
  17. Ohio $6.41
  18. Maryland $6.43
  19. Delaware $6.44
  20. New York $6.44
  21. Indiana $6.50

Delaware heating oil questions

Farmhouse on Route 114, East Haven, Vermont, March
Farmhouse on Route 114, East Haven, Vermont, March
What is the price of heating oil in Delaware right now?

The average residential price was $6.435 a gallon the week of October 26, 2026, from EIA’s weekly survey. That is +0.4¢ from the week before. Prices from individual dealers vary, and many charge less for larger deliveries or cash payment.

How much does it cost to fill a 275-gallon tank in Delaware?

About $1,150 for 179 gallons at this week’s average, filling from a quarter tank to 90%. Use the calculator above for your own gauge reading.

Is heating oil cheaper than propane in Delaware?

Per unit of heat, propane is cheaper this week: $54.66 versus $48.99 per million Btu delivered, assuming 85% efficient equipment for both. Comparing price per gallon alone is misleading because a gallon of heating oil holds about 51% more heat than a gallon of propane.

When is the best time to buy heating oil in Delaware?

In 4 of the last 10 heating seasons, October was the cheapest month for heating oil in Delaware. The median season ran 10.7% above October by February. Off-season fills (late spring and summer) are not in EIA’s weekly survey, so they cannot be compared here.

Where does this price come from?

From the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s State Heating Oil and Propane Program, which surveys residential prices every Monday from October through March and publishes them on Wednesday. See methodology.

Source and update

U.S. Energy Information Administration, Heating Oil and Propane Update, series W_EPD2F_PRS_SDE_DPG. Weekly data from Oct 1, 1990; 773 surveys on record. This page was rebuilt on November 4, 2026.

Prices include taxes and are averages of dealer quotes for residential delivery. Nominal dollars. EIA data page · All sources