EIA residential propane, Colorado
Colorado propane prices: $2.30 a gallon
Latest EIA residential survey, week ending 30 March 2026, the final release of the 2025-26 heating season. Weekly updates resume in October; the wholesale benchmark below is live.
In-state DJ Basin production keeps the wholesale base low, then long mountain routes add cost back at the last mile. Colorado issues no named dealer licence, so the state facility register is the record to check a seller against.
Latest EIA residential propane price
Source: EIA State Heating Oil and Propane Program, Colorado residential series. Refreshed automatically every Tuesday in season; wholesale daily.
Colorado at a glance
Latest survey$2.30/gal
vs week before-0.2c
vs 4 weeks before+0.8c
vs same week last year-3%
vs US ($2.67)14% below
Among 38 surveyed states12th cheapest
500-gal fill (400 usable)$921
Week by week, 2025-26 season
Colorado against the US average
Every point is an EIA survey week. This season Colorado ran from a low of $2.08 (6 Oct) to a high of $2.30 (23 Mar), with the US average finishing at $2.67. Against the same week a year earlier it is -3%.
$2.08
Season low
6 October 2025
$2.30
Season high
23 March 2026
$2.37
Same week last year
31 March 2025, now -3%
$0.85
Wholesale today
Mont Belvieu spot, 15 September 2026, +17c vs a month ago
Source: EIA State Heating Oil and Propane Program, residential propane, full-service delivery, published October to March. Wholesale is the Mont Belvieu, TX spot price; retail usually follows it by four to eight weeks, which makes it the best off-season signal of where Colorado prices are heading.
What a fill costs in Colorado at $2.30
Tanks fill to 80% of their stated size to leave room for expansion, so a 500-gallon tank takes about 400 gallons. The right-hand column is the difference against the same fill at the US average.
| Tank | Usable gallons | Fill at $2.30 | vs US ($2.67) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 gal | 80 gal | $184 | -$30 |
| 250 gal | 200 gal | $460 | -$74 |
| 500 gal | 400 gal | $921 | -$149 |
| 1000 gal | 800 gal | $1842 | -$298 |
A Colorado home heating on propane through a typical winter burns 1,000 to 1,500 gallons, so fuel alone runs about $2302 to $3453 at this price, before tank rent or a service plan. The average is a benchmark, not a quote: enter your ZIP to ask up to three local dealers what they would charge you.
Colorado against its West neighbours
The cheap western cluster is the Rocky Mountain and Southwest production states, close to PADD 4 supply. Colorado belongs to it but does not lead it: several neighbours price lower. The West regional average is dragged well up by Hawaii, Alaska and California, which is why Colorado looks strong against the region while also sitting below the national number.
| State | Price/gal | 500-gal fill | vs US ($2.67) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | $2.12 | $848 | -21% |
| Wyoming (regional est.) | $2.27 | $906 | -15% |
| Colorado | $2.30 | $921 | -14% |
| Utah | $2.34 | $935 | -13% |
| Idaho | $2.40 | $959 | -10% |
| Arizona (regional est.) | $2.72 | $1088 | +2% |
| New Mexico (regional est.) | $2.93 | $1172 | +10% |
| Nevada (regional est.) | $2.95 | $1180 | +10% |
| Oregon (regional est.) | $2.98 | $1192 | +11% |
| Washington (regional est.) | $3.02 | $1208 | +13% |
| California (regional est.) | $3.42 | $1368 | +28% |
| Alaska (regional est.) | $3.85 | $1540 | +44% |
| Hawaii (regional est.) | $4.15 | $1660 | +55% |
| West average | $2.88 | $1152 | +8% |
States marked regional est. are not surveyed individually by EIA and carry their PADD regional figure. Full table on prices by state.
Why Colorado runs 14% under the national average
Colorado lands below the national average and well under the West regional mark, but it is not the cheapest western state. The reasons are structural: in-state production keeps the wholesale base low, while long mountain routes and altitude add cost back at the last mile.
In-state DJ Basin NGL production.
Weld County's Wattenberg Field in the DJ Basin is one of the more active natural-gas-liquids zones in the country. The propane fraction is stripped at the in-state gas-processing complex before pipeline delivery, so Colorado retailers source supply from plants inside the state rather than trucking it in from the Gulf Coast or the Mid-Continent.
PADD 4 Rocky Mountain supply.
Colorado sits inside the EIA's PADD 4 district, the smallest and most production-rich region relative to its own consumption. Pipeline access to Bakken liquids from the north and Niobrara output from southeastern Wyoming deepens the pool. That is why the wholesale base here holds low even though the state is not the cheapest retail market.
Propane starts where the gas main ends.
Xcel Energy's natural-gas network covers Denver, Boulder and most of the urban Front Range, so propane is the primary heat only above and beyond the main line: foothill subdivisions, mountain communities, and unincorporated rural pockets. That concentrates demand into well-defined sub-regions where a handful of suppliers compete hard for established routes, which holds pricing down where the routes are dense.
Long mountain routes are the headwind.
The cost that pushes Colorado back toward the national average is last-mile delivery into high-elevation, low-density terrain, with winter closures gating routes on passes like Berthoud, Loveland and Rabbit Ears. Resort-corridor suppliers commonly add a $25 to $75 per-delivery surcharge for off-route mountain addresses that headline per-gallon pricing does not show.
Buying propane well in Colorado: four moves that change the bill
A good seller list is step one. In Colorado the gap between a careless account and a well-run one is usually a few hundred dollars a winter, plus one engineering step most homeowners never hear about.
01
Check the OPS facility register
Colorado regulates LP-gas through the Division of Oil and Public Safety, not a named dealer licence. Confirm the company operates a facility on the OPS register, then cross-check membership of the Colorado Propane Gas Association. Presence is a positive signal; a company on none of these earns a hard question before you sign.
02
Insist on the altitude derate
This is the Colorado-specific one. NFPA 54 requires gas appliances to be derated above 2,000 feet, about 4% of rated input per 1,000 feet. A furnace sized from sea-level input is underpowered at 5,280 feet in Denver, let alone 9,600 in Breckenridge, so it runs longer and burns more gas. Confirm your installer asks your elevation and fits the manufacturer high-altitude orifice kit before sizing anything.
03
Lock mountain gallons by mid-June
Wholesale bottoms in summer, but mountain timing is tighter than the Front Range. Resort routes in Summit, Eagle, Routt and the Gunnison Valley are capacity-constrained and fill by mid-June, before summer construction pulls delivery slots onto job sites. Ask for a cap-price contract so you keep the saving if wholesale falls, and confirm whether unused pre-paid gallons roll forward.
04
Check LEAP eligibility
Colorado LEAP, run by the Department of Human Services, pays a heating benefit toward propane for households at or below 60% of State Median Income (about $83,256 a year for a household of four in 2025/26). The window is 1 November to 30 April. Apply through Colorado PEAK, on the HEAT HELP line 1-866-HEAT-HELP (1-866-432-8435), or at your county Department of Human Services office.
Rated by customers
Colorado propane dealers worth calling first
A short, hand-checked list with strong public review scores, spread across the state. Ratings were read from the platforms named in August 2026 and move over time; a high score is where to start, not a guarantee. Get three written quotes whoever you call.
Front Range / Denver metro
Polar Gas
Brighton, Colorado
3.876 reviews, Birdeye
Locally owned full-service propane on the northern Front Range since 1960, with automatic delivery and tank sets across the Denver metro and Boulder County.
See the reviews ›Pikes Peak region
Glaser Energy Group
Colorado Springs, Colorado
3.8114 reviews, Birdeye
Serves Colorado Springs, Divide, and Pueblo West; BBB A-plus accredited, propane alongside heating oil and appliance service.
See the reviews ›Mountain corridor / Yampa Valley
Schrader Propane
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
5.013 reviews, Chamber of Commerce
Family operator covering Steamboat, Hayden, Oak Creek, Stagecoach, and the wider Routt County Yampa Valley, with a second Front Range base.
See the reviews ›San Luis Valley / southern Colorado
South Fork Propane
South Fork, Colorado
3.713 reviews, Birdeye
Family-owned since 1995 across the Silver Thread and San Luis Valley: Rio Grande, Mineral, Saguache, and Alamosa counties.
See the reviews ›Eastern Plains
Affordable Propane
Fort Morgan, Colorado
3.833 reviews, Birdeye
Independent serving the northeastern plains around Fort Morgan and the I-76 corridor, a market dominated by irrigation and grain-drying demand.
See the reviews ›Verified on the state registry
8 of the 324 Colorado dealers on the OPS register
| Dealer | City | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| A & A Trading Post Ace Hardware | Englewood | listing |
| AAA Platte Self Storage | Colorado Springs | listing |
| Ace Hardware | Denver | listing |
| Ace Hardware | Florissant | listing |
| Ace Hardware | Colorado Springs | listing |
| Ace Hardware | Aurora | listing |
| Ace Hardware At Cornerstar | Aurora | listing |
| Ace Hardware At Reunion | Commerce City | listing |
Source: Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety register of regulated LP-gas facilities, captured 19 June 2026. A registry listing is a licence record, not an endorsement. Colorado issues no named dealer licence, so check the facility register first, then cross-check membership of the Colorado Propane Gas Association.
Colorado propane, the questions people ask
Where do the facilities in your directory come from?
Every entry is drawn from the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety (OPS) register of regulated LP-gas storage-tank facilities, published on the Colorado Open Data Portal and captured 19 June 2026. We filter that register to the retail class (facilities that sell propane to the public: bulk suppliers, refill and exchange stations, and farm or ranch stores). It is a register snapshot, not an endorsement, and it mixes full bulk-delivery suppliers with cylinder refill points, so call ahead to confirm a facility actually delivers to your address before you rely on it. Colorado does not issue a named propane dealer licence the way some states do, which is why this facility register is the authoritative public record to check a seller against.
How do I verify a propane company is legitimate in Colorado?
Colorado regulates LP-gas installation, storage, and dispensing through the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), Division of Oil and Public Safety (OPS). The public record that matters for a seller is the OPS register of regulated LP-gas facilities on the Colorado Open Data Portal, which is the dataset behind the directory on this page. Colorado does not run a type-in-a-name dealer-licence lookup, so confirm the company operates a facility on that OPS register, then cross-check trade-body membership: the Colorado Propane Gas Association (copropane.com), founded in 1950 and based in Arvada, publishes a member directory of established marketers, and the National Propane Gas Association (npga.org) lists member retailers nationally. Membership is voluntary, so absence is not disqualifying, but presence is a positive signal. If a company appears on none of these, ask for its OPS facility details before signing.
Is propane actually cheap in Colorado?
Colorado residential propane is $2.30/gal in the latest EIA SHOPP release, which runs below the $2.67 national average. Where Colorado does well is against the rest of the West: the West regional average is $2.88/gal (pulled up by Hawaii, Alaska, and California), so Colorado runs well under the regional mark. It is not, however, the cheapest western state; several neighbours price lower. The structural reason Colorado is not expensive is in-state supply: the Wattenberg Field in the DJ Basin (Weld County) is an active natural-gas-liquids region, and the propane fraction comes off the gas-processing complex inside PADD 4 (Rocky Mountain), so retailers source on short haul distances rather than trucking from the Gulf Coast.
Do I need a high-altitude derate for propane appliances in Colorado?
Yes, and it is routinely missed. NFPA 54 / ANSI Z223.1 requires gas appliances to be derated when installed above 2,000 feet, roughly 4% of rated input per 1,000 feet of elevation. Denver sits at 5,280 feet (about a 13% derate), Aspen at roughly 8,000 feet (about 24%), Breckenridge near 9,600 feet (about 30%), and Leadville at 10,150 feet (about 33%). A 100,000 BTU/hr furnace installed in Aspen delivers closer to 76,000 BTU/hr after correct derate. If your installer sized the furnace, water heater, or range from sea-level rated input, the appliance is underpowered for the real heating load, runs longer cycles, burns more gas, and wears out sooner. Confirm your installer asks for your install elevation before sizing and fits the manufacturer's high-altitude orifice kit where required.
Am I eligible for Colorado LEAP heating assistance?
LEAP is Colorado's federally funded Low-income Energy Assistance Program, administered by the Colorado Department of Human Services. It is open to households at or below 60% of the State Median Income (about $6,938 a month, or $83,256 a year, for a household of four in the 2025/26 season). You must pay home heating costs directly to a fuel vendor or as part of your rent. Approved households receive a benefit that typically ranges from about $200 to $1,000, paid toward your heating fuel, and approval can unlock weatherization and emergency furnace help. The 2025/26 application window is 1 November 2025 to 30 April 2026. Apply through the Colorado PEAK portal, call the HEAT HELP line on 1-866-HEAT-HELP (1-866-432-8435), or visit your county Department of Human Services office. Households that do not qualify can look to Energy Outreach Colorado (energyoutreach.org), which runs a bill-payment assistance program.
When should mountain second-home owners lock in propane?
Mountain resort demand drives Colorado's tightest delivery windows in Aspen, Vail, Steamboat, Telluride, Breckenridge, Crested Butte, and the Gunnison Valley. The timing is more aggressive than on the Front Range: aim to lock a cap-price or pre-buy contract by mid-June, before peak summer construction season pulls supplier route capacity onto job sites, because mountain routes are smaller and fill earlier. If your tank is below half in early November, get on the auto-fill list before Thanksgiving; routes tighten sharply once the ski season opens and winter closures start gating delivery on passes like Berthoud, Loveland, and Rabbit Ears. A cap-price contract lets you keep the saving if wholesale falls over winter, while a flat pre-buy locks the gallons and price either way, so read which one you are signing.
How is propane priced on the Eastern Plains?
The Eastern Plains counties (Yuma, Phillips, Sedgwick, Logan, Morgan, Washington, Lincoln, Kit Carson, and their neighbours) are a different market from residential heat. Irrigation engines, grain drying for corn and wheat, and livestock operations pull high-volume bulk propane through the August to November harvest cycle. Agricultural pricing is wholesale-indexed and usually negotiated annually with regional bulk-plant operators rather than the residential delivery network, and volume matters: most agricultural dealers offer materially better per-gallon pricing above a few thousand gallons a year. Because these counties sit on the same PADD 4 Rocky Mountain supply that feeds the Front Range, plus rail-served terminals to the north and east, off-peak agricultural propane here is among the cheaper supply in the state. Talk to your local farm cooperative before going direct, since co-op volume aggregation often beats an independent quote.
Keep reading
All Colorado dealers
The complete verified directory of 324 Colorado propane dealers, by city and ZIP.
Dealers near you
Enter a ZIP to see the closest dealers and ask up to three for a price.
Propane prices today
The daily wholesale benchmark and the live state summer surveys.
Prices by state
All 50 states side by side, with regional context.
What a fill costs
Tank sizes, the 80% rule and the national refill guide.
How to pay less
Pre-buy timing, switching, owned versus leased tanks.
Propane vs natural gas
Per-BTU economics for Colorado homes beyond the Xcel gas-main line.