Calculator
Winter propane cost estimator
A season's propane cost at your state's latest surveyed price, with its past seasons alongside.
Usage ranges are typical whole-season figures, not a reading of your home: the EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey puts average all-use household propane near 390 gallons a year, with whole-home heating commonly 800-1,500 gallons depending on climate, size, and insulation. Price is the EIA weekly state residential figure, prefilled and editable. The result is shown as a ±10% band, not a forecast — actual usage and price move with the weather and the market.
Cite
What the same gallons cost in past seasons
Choosing a state also prices the season's gallons at that state's average residential price in each of its last heating seasons, from the same EIA weekly survey and the same seasons table its state price page prints. For Ohio at 1,150 gallons:
| Heating season | Ohio average | 1,150 gallons | Low week | High week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | $2.579/gal | $2,966 | $2.411 (Nov 3) | $2.750 (Feb 16) |
| 2024-25 | $2.671/gal | $3,072 | $2.450 (Oct 21) | $2.869 (Mar 3) |
| 2023-24 | $2.542/gal | $2,923 | $2.327 (Oct 2) | $2.724 (Feb 12) |
| 2022-23 | $2.701/gal | $3,106 | $2.636 (Oct 17) | $2.761 (Jan 23) |
| 2021-22 | $2.762/gal | $3,176 | $2.635 (Oct 18) | $2.963 (Mar 7) |
Across those seasons the same 1,150 gallons ranged from $2,923 (2023-24) to $3,176 (2021-22) at the season average, a difference of $253. That spread, not the ±10% band, is the record of how much the price side of a winter bill has moved in Ohio.
Why a real bill can run above the season average
The season average is the simple mean of the weekly survey readings, October through March, so every week counts the same. A heated house burns the most gallons in the coldest weeks, and in each of the last five US seasons the January-February survey average ran above the first October reading, so gallons bought at the going price through midwinter can cost more than the season average suggests. How do propane pre-buy programs work? sets the October and January-February readings side by side for the last five seasons, and How much propane does a home use? covers the gallons side.
Common questions
How much propane does a house use in winter?
A whole-home propane furnace commonly burns 800-1,500 gallons over a heating season, more in cold climates and large homes, less in mild ones. Water heating and cooking alone are closer to 200-300 gallons a year.
How is the season cost estimated?
Typical seasonal gallons times your state's latest surveyed price per gallon, shown as a ±10% band to reflect how much weather and price can move the real number. It is an illustration, not a forecast.
What did the same amount of propane cost in past winters?
Choosing a state prices the same gallons at that state's average residential price in each of its last complete heating seasons, from EIA's weekly survey and the seasons table on its state price page. The table below the calculator works it through for one state.