Virginia heating oil and propane prices per gallon this week
Virginia heating oil averaged $6.003 a gallon and propane $3.760 in the EIA survey of October 19, 2026.
Heating oil, Virginia, week of October 19, 2026
$6.003/gal
| 150 gallons at this price | $900 |
| Change from the week before | +$0.017 |
| Same week a year ago | $3.627 (+65.5 %) |
| Average of last winter (2025-26, November to March) | $3.926 |
| Wholesale price the same week | $5.145 (dealer spread $0.858) |
| U.S. average | $6.190 |
EIA weekly survey of October 19, 2026, excluding taxes. Next release October 28, 2026.
Compiled by Radif Partners · Where the prices come from · EIA survey of , published October 21, 2026, excluding taxes
Virginia is an electric-heat state, with 1,990,503 homes heated by electricity, but 94,685 still burn fuel oil or kerosene and 147,964 burn propane, according to the Census Bureau's 2024 survey. In the EIA's weekly survey of October 19, 2026, Virginia heating oil averaged $6.003 a gallon, 14th of 21 states, and propane $3.760, 8th of 38. Last winter the state's oil averaged $3.926 and its propane $3.467 from November to March. A normal Virginia winter counts 3,669 heating degree days over those months; the EIA's average home would burn about 340 gallons of oil or 663 gallons of propane over it, which is $2,043 or $2,493 at this week's averages. The survey prices leave out sales tax and delivery fees.
Virginia's dealer margins
The EIA publishes wholesale prices for Virginia for both fuels: $5.145 for heating oil and $1.381 for propane this week. The residential averages leave $0.858 a gallon on oil and $2.379 on propane. On a typical fill that is $172 on 200 gallons of oil and $595 on 250 gallons of propane.
Virginia price and your order
Heating oil, Virginia, week of October 19, 2026
$6.003/gal
| 200 gallons at this price | $1,201 |
| Change from the week before | +$0.017 |
| Same week a year ago | $3.627 (+65.5 %) |
| Average of last winter (2025-26, November to March) | $3.926 |
Last winter and the record
Virginia heating oil ran from $3.610 to $5.277 last winter, its high week on March 30, 2026. Propane ranged from $3.407 to $3.565. The highest weekly Virginia averages since 2013 are $6.003 for oil and $4.069 for propane. This week Virginia oil is $0.368 cheaper than Maryland's average and $0.175 dearer than North Carolina's.
How far a tank goes in Virginia
NOAA's population-weighted normals give Virginia 838 heating degree days in December, 929 in January and 761 in February. Spread across those three months, the average oil home burns about 234 gallons, which a 275-gallon tank cannot hold in one fill. The days-left calculator reads your gauge and says when to call the dealer. A propane household with a leased tank is usually on automatic delivery; the propane tank calculator checks the bill against the gauge.
Choosing a fuel, getting help
Many Virginia homes already heat with electricity. For a household weighing oil, propane and an electric heat pump, the comparison page puts all three on the same per-million-Btu basis. The federal LIHEAP ceiling for a family of four in Virginia is $86,109 a year, and $44,776 for a person living alone; the LIHEAP page gives the other sizes and explains the rule.
Fixed price or market price
Heating fuel dealers often offer a price fixed for the winter, or a capped price that can fall but not rise. Whether that pays depends on a winter nobody can see yet. What the record can show is how often the Virginia average over November to March ended above or below the mid-October price: the lock-in check replays each season since 2013-14 against the price a dealer offers you, with the gallons you expect to buy.
What a delivery costs in Virginia at this week's average
| Fuel | Price a gallon | Order | Order | Order | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heating oil | $6.003 | 100 gal: $600 | 150 gal: $900 | 200 gal: $1,201 | 275 gal: $1,651 |
| Propane | $3.760 | 100 gal: $376 | 250 gal: $940 | 400 gal: $1,504 | 800 gal: $3,008 |
Heating oil in Virginia, winter by winter
| Winter | Mid-October | November to March average | Season high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | $5.986 | in progress | $6.003 (October 19, 2026) |
| 2025-26 | $3.652 | $3.926 | $5.277 (March 30, 2026) |
| 2024-25 | $3.612 | $3.670 | $3.865 (February 17, 2025) |
| 2023-24 | $4.165 | $4.030 | $4.213 (October 2, 2023) |
| 2022-23 | $5.105 | $4.695 | $5.547 (November 14, 2022) |
| 2021-22 | $3.231 | $3.672 | $4.673 (March 21, 2022) |
| 2020-21 | $2.191 | $2.485 | $2.811 (March 22, 2021) |
| 2019-20 | $2.815 | $2.778 | $2.881 (January 6, 2020) |
| 2018-19 | $3.006 | $2.855 | $3.010 (October 22, 2018) |
| 2017-18 | $2.527 | $2.735 | $2.858 (February 5, 2018) |
| 2016-17 | $2.256 | $2.386 | $2.441 (January 16, 2017) |
| 2015-16 | $2.394 | $2.163 | $2.394 (October 12, 2015) |
| 2014-15 | $3.492 | $3.049 | $3.492 (October 13, 2014) |
| 2013-14 | $3.642 | $3.720 | $3.884 (March 17, 2014) |
Propane in Virginia, winter by winter
| Winter | Mid-October | November to March average | Season high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | $3.661 | in progress | $3.760 (October 19, 2026) |
| 2025-26 | $3.441 | $3.467 | $3.565 (March 30, 2026) |
| 2024-25 | $3.377 | $3.548 | $3.656 (February 17, 2025) |
| 2023-24 | $3.287 | $3.399 | $3.509 (February 19, 2024) |
| 2022-23 | $3.358 | $3.342 | $3.384 (January 30, 2023) |
| 2021-22 | $3.353 | $3.519 | $3.757 (March 7, 2022) |
| 2020-21 | $2.563 | $2.875 | $3.179 (March 22, 2021) |
| 2019-20 | $2.561 | $2.649 | $2.711 (February 24, 2020) |
| 2018-19 | $3.122 | $3.094 | $3.150 (October 22, 2018) |
| 2017-18 | $2.987 | $3.108 | $3.227 (January 29, 2018) |
| 2016-17 | $2.852 | $2.965 | $3.197 (February 20, 2017) |
| 2015-16 | $2.544 | $2.644 | $2.729 (February 8, 2016) |
| 2014-15 | $2.963 | $2.892 | $3.041 (January 19, 2015) |
| 2013-14 | $2.796 | $3.511 | $4.069 (February 10, 2014) |