Households that heat with oil are starting the season at a steep price. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) put the national average for residential heating oil at $6.14 a gallon for the week of October 12, 2026, which is $2.60 higher than a year earlier.
The exact figure in EIA’s weekly heating oil survey is $6.138 a gallon, up $2.595 from the same week in 2025. That works out to about $3.54 a gallon a year ago, so the price is up roughly 73 percent.
Where oil prices stand state by state
EIA’s state table for the same week shows New York at $6.335 a gallon, Massachusetts at $6.116, Connecticut at $6.094, Pennsylvania at $6.014 and Maine at $5.969. The national figure rose $0.088 from the prior week’s $6.050, so the climb has not paused as the weather turns.
EIA collects these prices only during the heating season, from October through March. From now through March, the numbers are published every Wednesday after 1 p.m. Eastern, which puts the next update on October 21. Anyone watching a delivery price can use that weekly release to see whether the market is easing or climbing.
For people who heat with oil and live on a fixed income, a price like this can turn the first fill of the season into a hard choice. Anyone who has not scheduled a delivery yet, or who runs a tank down to a quarter before refilling, is the person most exposed to a bad week. The question for them is whether any heating help covers oil, and how soon to apply.
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Why a bigger winter bill is likely
The jump is not limited to one survey. New York’s state energy agency tracks monthly averages, and NYSERDA’s figures put New York at $5.26 a gallon in August 2026 against $3.71 in August 2025.
The National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA) projected in September that the average household will spend $1,030 on heating this winter. It forecast a 31.3 percent increase for homes that burn heating oil, the sharpest rise of any fuel, and tied it largely to higher global oil prices linked to the war in Iran. That $1,030 average is $82, or 8.7 percent, more than last year, with electricity up 9.0 percent, propane up 8.7 percent and natural gas up 5.8 percent.
“This is a warning that too many families are entering winter with no room left in their budgets,” said Mark Wolfe, NEADA’s executive director. The group is asking Congress to raise LIHEAP funding from $4 billion to $7 billion, and says the program reaches only a fraction of eligible households.
Diesel, which is close kin to heating oil, is also running high. EIA’s weekly diesel survey has the national average at $6.179 a gallon, so there is no cheap fuel nearby for oil-heat households to compare against.
Is there heating help for oil customers?
Yes. The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, helps with home heating bills, prevents shutoffs, and covers energy crises. It also pays for weatherization, minor energy-related home repairs, and repair or replacement of heating equipment.
People can apply through the program’s Energy Help website or by calling the National Energy Assistance Referral line at 1-866-674-6327, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern. The program’s page says it charges no fee and warns people to report any offer that asks for one.
Income limits and the amount of help vary by state, so the federal page sends applicants to their state, territory or tribal program contact for the details. The page does not say which fuels each state covers or how long approval takes, so oil customers should ask their state office about both when they apply.
What oil customers can do while prices stay high
Apply early. Applications for heating help typically ask for proof of income and a recent fuel bill, though each state sets its own list. Keeping the dealer’s name, account number and last two deliveries in one place saves a second trip.
Smaller moves also matter when the price is $6 a gallon. Asking a dealer about a set-price plan, comparing quotes from more than one supplier, and ordering a partial fill all change the first bill. None of that replaces assistance, but it reduces how much of the winter’s cost lands on a household in a single month.
EIA’s number is a survey average, so a delivered price in any one town can land above or below it. The state figures already show the spread: New York’s $6.335 is about 37 cents a gallon above Maine’s $5.969, and a household’s own quote is the number that counts for its budget.
The weekly EIA figure is the one to watch. Another big weekly jump would raise the cost of every fill from here, and it would make the winter budget harder to hold.
Heating with oil at $6 a gallon this winter?
With heating oil up $2.60 a gallon in a year, a missed application window or a skipped renewal can leave a household paying full price for a winter’s worth of fuel. Help programs ask for paperwork and dates, and the people who fall behind on either often find out after the tank is already empty.
The oil-price story is about one fuel, and the bigger job for a household is keeping the whole winter affordable. The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit puts heating, cooling and home-repair help in one place, with an application log and renewal calendar so each program’s dates and documents are tracked. Its utilities section and its worksheets, contacts and sources part are built for exactly that.
Get the kit’s heating-help guide, application log and renewal calendar for oil-heat households →
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
