Why Is My Heating Bill So High?
Prices: 2025–26 heating season (October to March) and the latest weekly survey · Updated October 21, 2026
A winter heating bill comes down to three things: the price of your fuel, how cold it was, and which fuel heats your home. Last winter (2025–26), EIA's monthly U.S. residential natural gas price averaged $15.59 per thousand cubic feet, 8.7% higher than the winter before, per EIA. The winter itself was 1.9% milder than the one before, measured in heating degree days. Whichever of those moved, the fuel you burn sets the scale: at typical equipment efficiencies, the most expensive common fuel cost about 3 times the cheapest per unit of heat last winter.
First, diagnose your own bill
Compare this bill with the same month last year, not with last month, and check the number of billing days. Gas and electric bills print how much you used (therms or Ccf of gas, kilowatt-hours) and break the charges into supply, delivery and fixed parts. An oil or propane invoice shows the gallons delivered, which is not the same as what you burned since the last fill.
- You used more fuel. If the amount used went up, the weather or the house is the reason: a colder month, a thermostat change, more people home, or heat escaping through windows, ducts and an older furnace. Colder weather shows up in the degree-day table below.
- The price per unit went up. If you used about the same amount and paid more, compare the supply rate and the delivery rate with last year's bill, line by line, to see which one rose. The price table below shows how each fuel's average price moved.
- The bill itself changed. Gas and electric bills carry fixed monthly customer charges and riders that a rate case can raise. Those charges arrive whether you burn a lot or a little, which is why a summer gas bill can look expensive per therm. Oil and propane bills depend on when you fill the tank and at what price.
Fuel prices: last winter against the winter before
Simple averages of EIA's U.S. residential prices over October through March: monthly prices for natural gas and electricity, weekly survey prices for heating oil and propane, per EIA.
| Fuel | 2024–25 | 2025–26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas ($/Mcf) | 14.34 | 15.59 | +8.7% |
| Electricity (¢/kWh) | 16.61 | 17.82 | +7.3% |
| Heating oil ($/gallon) | 3.66 | 4.01 | +9.5% |
| Propane ($/gallon) | 2.59 | 2.55 | -1.5% |
Heating oil and propane by state, latest survey week
EIA's weekly survey of residential heating oil and propane prices (heating oil week of 2026-10-19, propane week of 2026-10-19), against the same week a year earlier. The survey runs October through March and covers the states where these fuels heat many homes.
| State | Heating oil ($/gal) | vs year ago | Propane ($/gal) | vs year ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | – | – | 3.57 | +4.0% |
| Arkansas | – | – | 2.60 | +18.6% |
| Colorado | – | – | 2.36 | +11.8% |
| Connecticut | 6.15 | +81.4% | 4.23 | +14.7% |
| Delaware | 6.43 | +64.0% | 3.75 | +9.5% |
| Florida | – | – | 4.93 | +8.6% |
| Georgia | – | – | 3.21 | +9.3% |
| Idaho | – | – | 2.59 | +12.8% |
| Illinois | – | – | 1.94 | +11.9% |
| Indiana | 6.05 | +83.3% | 2.56 | +15.4% |
| Iowa | 5.82 | +92.7% | 1.70 | +12.2% |
| Kansas | – | – | 2.07 | +17.0% |
| Kentucky | 5.89 | +94.5% | 2.84 | +15.6% |
| Maine | 6.03 | +86.3% | 3.71 | +18.5% |
| Maryland | 6.37 | +77.3% | 3.80 | +8.0% |
| Massachusetts | 6.12 | +72.4% | 3.66 | +6.7% |
| Michigan | 5.81 | +86.2% | 2.43 | +12.6% |
| Minnesota | 5.92 | +68.1% | 2.01 | +11.8% |
| Mississippi | – | – | 3.14 | +5.5% |
| Missouri | – | – | 2.18 | +12.2% |
| Montana | – | – | 2.17 | +15.6% |
| Nebraska | 5.63 | +103.7% | 1.78 | +12.1% |
| New Hampshire | 6.03 | +73.7% | 3.84 | +11.7% |
| New Jersey | 6.38 | +69.0% | 4.08 | +15.9% |
| New York | 6.42 | +67.5% | 3.73 | +10.3% |
| North Carolina | 5.83 | +79.2% | 3.61 | +9.9% |
| North Dakota | – | – | 1.65 | +9.5% |
| Ohio | 6.03 | +74.6% | 2.65 | +2.9% |
| Oklahoma | – | – | 2.35 | +7.3% |
| Pennsylvania | 6.07 | +87.5% | 3.16 | +12.4% |
| Rhode Island | 6.38 | +76.7% | 4.17 | +15.7% |
| South Dakota | – | – | 1.87 | +13.1% |
| Tennessee | – | – | 3.22 | +6.1% |
| Texas | – | – | 3.14 | +7.1% |
| Utah | – | – | 2.33 | +3.2% |
| Vermont | 6.10 | +79.0% | 3.88 | +8.7% |
| Virginia | 6.00 | +65.5% | 3.76 | +9.6% |
| Wisconsin | 5.79 | +88.2% | 1.94 | +12.3% |
Weather: how cold each winter was
Heating degree days add up how far each day's average temperature fell below 65°F; a winter with 20% more of them needs roughly 20% more heat. These are EIA's population-weighted totals for October through March by Census division, with EIA's forecast for the coming winter from the Short-Term Energy Outlook released 2026-10-06.
| Region | 2024–25 | 2025–26 | vs winter before | 10-winter average | 2026–27 forecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England | 5,161 | 5,601 | +8.5% | 5,011 | 4,988 |
| Middle Atlantic | 4,717 | 5,155 | +9.3% | 4,595 | 4,590 |
| East North Central | 5,027 | 5,269 | +4.8% | 5,041 | 5,068 |
| West North Central | 5,321 | 5,058 | -4.9% | 5,438 | 5,401 |
| South Atlantic | 2,243 | 2,329 | +3.8% | 2,158 | 2,139 |
| East South Central | 2,872 | 2,845 | -0.9% | 2,832 | 2,870 |
| West South Central | 1,695 | 1,401 | -17.3% | 1,799 | 1,781 |
| Mountain | 3,883 | 3,148 | -18.9% | 4,046 | 3,918 |
| Pacific | 2,622 | 2,153 | -17.9% | 2,685 | 2,566 |
| United States | 3,425 | 3,361 | -1.9% | 3,446 | 3,391 |
The forecast column is EIA's projection, not a measurement, and EIA revises it every month; months already past when that outlook was released are EIA's estimates in it, not final data.
Your fuel sets the scale
The same winter costs very different amounts depending on the fuel. Estimated cost per million Btu of heat delivered, from last winter's U.S. average prices and typical equipment efficiencies (gas and propane furnaces 92%, oil 86%, a heat pump delivering 2.8 units of heat per unit of electricity, resistance heat 100%):
- Natural gas: $16.3
- A heat pump: $18.7
- Propane: $30.3
- Heating oil: $33.7
- Electric resistance heat: $52.2
A home that needs about 50 million Btu of delivered heat a winter would pay roughly $815 with natural gas and $2,610 with electric resistance heat at those prices and efficiencies; a more efficient heat pump narrows or reverses the gap with gas. Every state and fuel: what it costs to heat a home. In New England, where many homes burn heating oil and natural gas costs more than almost anywhere else, see why New England pays more for natural gas.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my heating bill higher than last year?
Compare this bill with the same month last year, not last month. If you used more gas, oil or kilowatt-hours, the weather or your home is the reason; if you used about the same and paid more, the price per unit or the fixed charges rose. Your bill prints both the amount used and the price.
How much colder was last winter?
Nationally, last winter (2025–26) had 3,361 heating degree days from October through March, 1.9% fewer than the winter before, per EIA's population-weighted series. More degree days means more heat needed.
What is the cheapest way to heat a home?
At typical equipment efficiencies, natural gas was the cheapest fuel per unit of heat nationally last winter at about $16.3 per million Btu, and electric resistance heat the most expensive at about $52.2. The ranking varies by state; our heating-cost tool shows every state.
Where can I get help paying a heating bill?
The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps eligible households with heating bills through state agencies, and most utilities offer budget billing and payment plans.
Help with heating bills: the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and our energy-poverty data. See also why electric bills are rising and whether a heat pump pays off.
Sources: EIA residential natural gas and electricity prices (monthly), the EIA heating oil and propane survey (weekly, October to March), and heating degree days from EIA's Short-Term Energy Outlook. Delivered-heat costs use the heat-content and efficiency assumptions on the heating-cost page. See methodology.