ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Homes that burn oil for heat are heading into winter facing some of the highest fuel bills North Carolina has seen. Federal energy data put the statewide residential average at $5.87 a gallon last week, compared with $3.27 a gallon at the same point a year ago.
The figure, $5.872 for the week of Nov. 2, was up about 3 cents from the week before and is the steepest North Carolina has seen this early in a heating season in at least a decade, roughly 70 cents above the previous high set in the 2022-23 winter. Even so, the state ranked as the fourth cheapest of the 21 states in the federal survey, and below the Lower Atlantic average of $5.97.
For a typical household, the math adds up quickly. Refilling a 275-gallon tank from a quarter full to 90 percent takes about 179 gallons, which comes to about $1,050 at the current average. Propane averaged about $3.74 a gallon in the same survey, and natural gas remains the cheapest way to heat a North Carolina home per unit of heat delivered.
Fuel dealers in the mountains say customers are adjusting by buying smaller loads instead of filling their tanks, and one western North Carolina dealer pointed to the war in Iran and trouble moving oil out of the Gulf as likely reasons for the jump. Retail prices quoted by local dealers had eased slightly in recent days, though no one is predicting when a real drop will come.
The timing is hard on households. Colder air is moving into the state this week, and many oil-heat homes, concentrated in the western counties and older rural houses, may need more than one delivery before spring. Dealers advise budgeting for energy costs now and keeping the thermostat at a steady setting rather than turning it down and back up.
The federal energy agency checks dealer prices each Monday during the October-to-March season and posts them midweek, so the next statewide reading is due this week.
Section: More Raleigh NC business news
Raleigh business profiles
Filed under: Raleigh NC Business News
