Three seasons, two markets, one shape. Both records show a calm early winter and then a spring that ran away, which is the opposite of the pattern households plan around.
The United Kingdom, pence per litre
| Season | Average | Low | Peak | 1,200 litres at the average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 66.18p | 62.21p | 73.74p | GBP 794.16 |
| 2024-25 | 54.13p | 51.99p | 56.64p | GBP 649.56 |
| 2025-26 | 61.67p | 51.84p | 104.05p | GBP 740.04 |
The United States, dollars per gallon
| Season | Average | Low | Peak | 261 gallons at the average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | $4.11 | $3.96 | $4.39 | $1,072.97 |
| 2024-25 | $3.66 | $3.47 | $3.94 | $956.30 |
| 2025-26 | $4.01 | $3.53 | $5.57 | $1,046.87 |
DESNZ Quarterly Energy Prices / QEP 4.1.1 standard grade burning oil / published 27 August 2026 / checked 23 September 2026 / lag 27 daysone to four weeks oldtier A
Typical price for a delivery of up to 1,000 litres, VAT at 5% included. Observed on the Monday nearest the 15th.
EIA State Heating Oil and Propane Program / W_EPD2F_PRS_NUS_DPG / published 30 March 2026 / checked 23 September 2026 / lag 177 daysthree to six months oldtier A
Last in-season print. The survey pauses after March and resumes in October, so this figure ages all summer.
What the household actually felt
A British household buying 1,200 litres once a season paid GBP 649.56 at the 2024 to 2025 average and GBP 740.04 at the 2025 to 2026 average. That is a difference of GBP 90.48, which sounds modest until you notice the peak inside the season was 104.05p.
Buying at that peak instead of at the season low of 51.84p cost GBP 626.52 on the same order. The season average hides that entirely, which is the argument for looking at the range rather than the mean.
On the American side the 2025 to 2026 season ran from $3.53 to $5.57. On a 261 gallon fill that is a difference of $532.44 between the best and worst week to have ordered.
The range inside a season is worth more than the difference between seasons.
Which winter was cheapest to buy in
In both markets, the 2024 to 2025 season. The UK averaged 54.13p against 66.18p the year before and 61.67p the year after. The US averaged $3.66 against $4.11 and $4.01. Both markets bottomed in the same season, which is what you would expect from two prices tracking the same crude.
Where this winter starts
The UK reading going into the season is 90.01p, above both prior season averages. The American series has not printed since March, so nobody knows where it starts, and the lag mark on that figure will sit at five ticks of five until the survey resumes in October.
Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 / 36 readings
low 46.39p / high 104.05p
Primary sources for this page
- EIA State Heating Oil and Propane ProgramWeekly residential delivered price of No. 2 heating oil, national and by state. Collected October to March. The survey pauses after the last March print and resumes in October, which is why every federal page shows March data all summer.
- DESNZ Quarterly Energy Prices, table 4.1.1Monthly typical retail price of standard grade burning oil, the fuel sold to UK households as kerosene. Priced on the Monday nearest the 15th of the month, for deliveries of up to 1,000 litres, VAT at 5% included. This is the only official UK-wide domestic heating oil price series.
- Consumer Council for Northern Ireland home heating oil price checkerA genuine weekly regional survey, the only one of its kind in the UK. The page returned HTTP 403 to our checker on 10 September 2026, so no basket figure from it is restated on this site. Follow the link for the current week.
- EIA Winter Fuels OutlookPublished each October alongside the Short-Term Energy Outlook. Forecast household heating expenditure by fuel and region.