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Virginia Heating Oil Price Trends

Updated on July 30, 2024 at 12:00 AM

Time HorizonPrice Change
1 Week Trend-$0.100
1 Month Trend+$0.100
1 Year Trend-$0.100

Virginia Heating Oil Price History

Updated on July 30, 2024 at 12:00 AM

DateAverage Oil Price
07/30/2024$3.199
07/29/2024$3.199
07/26/2024$3.199
07/25/2024$3.199
07/24/2024$3.299
07/23/2024$3.299
07/22/2024$3.299
07/19/2024$3.299
07/18/2024$3.299
07/17/2024$3.299
07/16/2024$3.299
07/15/2024$3.299
07/12/2024$3.249
07/11/2024$3.249
07/10/2024$3.249
07/09/2024$3.249
07/08/2024$3.199
07/05/2024$3.199
07/04/2024$3.199
07/03/2024$3.199
07/02/2024$3.199
07/01/2024$3.199
06/28/2024$3.199
06/27/2024$3.099
06/26/2024$3.099
06/25/2024$3.099
06/24/2024$3.099
06/13/2024$3.299
06/12/2024$3.299
06/11/2024$3.299

Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Virginia Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Electricity is the most popular choice in Virginia, used by 1,887,993 or 56.72% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Virginia homeowners is natural gas, used by 1,101,616 homes (33.09%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (153,698), heating oil (129,907), wood (65,453), and other fuels (41,045).

Virginia Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

FuelVirginia Households % of Households
Electricity1.8M56.72%
Natural Gas1.1M33.09%
Propane153,6984.62%
Heating Oil129,9073.90%
Wood65,4531.97%
No Fuel24,3140.73%
Other Fuels12,4890.38%
Solar2,7510.08%
Coal1,4910.04%

Electricity (56.72)

Natural gas (33.09)

Propane (4.62)

Heating oil (3.90)

Wood (1.97)

No fuel (0.73)

Other fuels (0.38)

Solar (0.08)

Coal (0.04)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Virginia

Heating oil has become less popular in Virginia. In the 4 years since 2018, the number of heating oil homes fell from 148,684 to 129,907, a 12.63% drop.

Virginia Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

YearHeating Oil Households
2011228,988
2012211,492
2013195,333
2014182,928
2015171,696
2016162,011
2017154,885
2018148,684
2019141,997
2020137,208
2021128,923
2022129,907

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Virginia

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 137,930 to 153,698.

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 1,040,445 to 1,101,616.

Electricity use for home heating in Virginia

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Virginia. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 1,701,738 to 1,887,993, a 10.94% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Virginia

Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all space heating fuels. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid is circulated between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank in the basement.

Currently, 2,751 homes in Virginia are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 200.98% increase from 2018, when only 914 homes had installed active solar heating.

Virginia Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Virginia homeowners purchased a total of 78 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Virginia’s overall heating oil use varies from year to year, primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ heating systems need to burn more and more oil to keep homes warm. Last winter in Virginia, the average outside temperature was 12.3° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Virginia Average Winter Temperature

Heating SeasonAverage Temperature
Winter 2023 - 202459.8° F
Winter 2022 - 202347.5° F

Virginia Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Virginia homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 226 heating oil companies that serve Virginia is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 2 “full-service” oil companies that serve Virginia. Full service companies such as undefined or undefined offer automatic fuel delivery and furnace repair under a single roof.

Discount Oil Companies: Also known by the names “COD Fuel Companies” or “Cash Heating Oil Companies”, these companies are for the budget-conscious Virginia homeowner. In return for better prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank and place an order when you run low on oil. Examples of cash heating oil companies that serve Virginia include undefined and undefined.

Virginia Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Virginia: 226 companies

Average Number Of Virginia Homes Served Per Company: 574 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Virginia Oil Company: 347,176 gallons per year

Virginia Heating Oil Delivery Overview

Approximately 61,897 households in Virginia heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Virginia temperatures drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

2% of Virginia Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Virginia HouseholdsVirginia Heating Oil Households
2.2M61,897

226 Virginia Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 78 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Virginia homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Virginia community relies on its 226 oil companies to keep warm.

Oil delivery is a two step process: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal. In the case of Virginia, two of the closest terminals are 1st Enrgy in Richmond, VA and Kinder-m2 in Richmond, VA. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Virginia.