EIA residential propane, Delaware
Delaware propane prices: $3.73 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.
A three-county Mid-Atlantic market that prices like New England. Natural gas owns the north, propane concentrates in rural Sussex, Kent farmland and the beach corridor, and the largest broiler county in the country competes with homes for the same trucks.
Latest EIA residential propane price
Source: EIA State Heating Oil and Propane Program, Delaware residential series. Refreshed automatically every Tuesday in season; wholesale daily.
Delaware at a glance
Latest survey$3.73/gal
vs week before-1.3c
vs 4 weeks before+5.2c
vs same week last year-3%
vs US ($2.67)40% above
Among 38 surveyed states30th cheapest
500-gal fill (400 usable)$1492
Week by week, 2025-26 season
Delaware against the US average
Every point is an EIA survey week. This season Delaware ran from a low of $3.35 (13 Oct) to a high of $3.74 (23 Mar), with the US average finishing at $2.67. Against the same week a year earlier it is -3%.
$3.35
Season low
13 October 2025
$3.74
Season high
23 March 2026
$3.84
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 Delaware prices are heading.
What a fill costs in Delaware at $3.73
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 $3.73 | vs US ($2.67) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 gal | 80 gal | $298 | +$85 |
| 250 gal | 200 gal | $746 | +$211 |
| 500 gal | 400 gal | $1492 | +$423 |
| 1000 gal | 800 gal | $2985 | +$846 |
A Delaware home heating on propane through a typical winter burns 1,000 to 1,500 gallons, so fuel alone runs about $3731 to $5597 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.
Delaware against its Northeast neighbours
Delaware groups with the Northeast on this site, and its price behaves that way. Pennsylvania sits lower, closer to the Marcus Hook and Marcellus supply it shares; the New England and metro-New-York states run higher on longer last-mile routes and colder, longer seasons.
| State | Price/gal | 500-gal fill | vs US ($2.67) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | $3.08 | $1233 | +15% |
| Maine | $3.52 | $1409 | +32% |
| Massachusetts | $3.65 | $1460 | +36% |
| Delaware | $3.73 | $1492 | +40% |
| Vermont | $3.73 | $1493 | +40% |
| New York | $3.75 | $1499 | +40% |
| Rhode Island | $3.76 | $1503 | +41% |
| New Hampshire | $3.78 | $1512 | +41% |
| New Jersey | $3.82 | $1528 | +43% |
| Connecticut | $4.12 | $1646 | +54% |
| Northeast average | $3.69 | $1476 | +38% |
States marked regional est. are not surveyed individually by EIA and carry their PADD regional figure. Full table on prices by state.
Why Delaware runs 40% over the national average
Delaware runs a milder, shorter heating season than New England, yet its residential propane clears well above the national mark and sits close to the Northeast average. The reasons are structural: where the barrels come from, who buys natural gas instead, and the demand mix in the south of the state.
Marcus Hook and the Mariner East corridor.
Most US propane is produced on the Gulf Coast and in the Marcellus and Utica shale. Delaware retailers source through the Marcus Hook NGL complex in southeast Pennsylvania, fed by Mariner East pipeline flows from the Marcellus and by rail from PADD 3. Every transfer, from pipeline to storage to rail to bobtail truck, adds a margin layer before retail markup, and Delaware is at the end of that chain rather than near a production hub.
Natural gas owns the population centres.
Wilmington, Newark, New Castle and Dover are served by Delmarva Power and Chesapeake Utilities natural gas, which removes the dense urban propane demand that keeps route economics cheap in propane-first states. What is left is a smaller, more dispersed customer base in rural Sussex, Kent farmland and the coastal strip, which supports thinner supplier density and less price competition per delivery route.
Sussex County poultry and farm demand.
Sussex is the largest broiler-chicken-producing county in the United States. Propane brooders heat new flocks through the first weeks of each cycle, irrigation engines run on propane in summer, and grain dryers consume it through the autumn harvest. That demand is large and inelastic, it competes for the same supplier capacity that serves homes, and it is the main reason rural Sussex residential rates can sit at or above the state average rather than below it.
A coastal season and a heating-oil legacy.
The Lewes-to-Fenwick beach corridor adds a Memorial-Day-to-Labor-Day top-up surge for second homes and rentals, an expensive delivery pattern for the routes that serve it. And a meaningful share of older Delaware housing, especially in Kent and inland Sussex, still runs number-2 fuel oil for space heat with propane only for cooking, water heat or a generator. That keeps gallons-per-household low and per-customer route economics weaker than a propane-dominant state would see.
Buying propane well in Delaware: four moves that decide the bill
A good shortlist is step one. In a market this expensive, the gap between a careless account and a well-run one is real money across a winter. Here is where it is won.
01
Confirm the Fire Marshal licence
Delaware has no online dealer lookup, so this is a phone step. Any retail LP-gas dispenser, or anyone installing tanks of 1,000 gallons or more, must hold an annual State Fire Marshal licence, and tank-plan submittals are public record. Call the office at statefiremarshal.delaware.gov or 302-739-5665 to confirm a supplier before you sign.
02
Lock the summer rate
Wholesale bottoms in June and July, and most Delaware suppliers open pre-buy or cap-price enrolment around May 1 through the end of August. In a state at this price tier, that lock matters more than in the cheap Midwest. Ask for a cap-price contract, which keeps the savings if wholesale falls, over a flat pre-buy, and ask whether unused prepaid gallons roll forward.
03
Quote a local against a national
Delaware runs a two-tier market: family regionals and national carriers. Per-gallon spreads of $0.30 to $0.50 within one county are common, so pull at least one written quote from each tier that itemises price, delivery fee, tank rental and any minimum-delivery surcharge. If you own your tank, say so up front, because it removes the switching penalty leased-tank customers face.
04
Check DEAP eligibility
The Delaware Energy Assistance Program (DHSS, Division of Social Services) helps propane households at or below 60% of State Median Income, with a heating benefit up to $2,464 and crisis help up to $10,000. Apply on the ASSIST portal at assist.dhss.delaware.gov, via Catholic Charities, or by calling 302-255-9875 or 211. County intake: New Castle 302-654-9295, Kent 302-674-1782, Sussex 302-856-6310.
Rated by customers
Delaware 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.
Kent & Sussex, into New Castle
Poore's Propane
Dover, Delaware
4.8930+ reviews, Birdeye
Independent family operator delivering across Kent and Sussex from Dover, Milford and Lewes, and reaching parts of New Castle County. One of the highest review volumes of any Delaware propane company.
See the reviews ›Statewide
Sharp Energy
Georgetown & Dover, Delaware
4.8510+ reviews, Birdeye
A Chesapeake Utilities company and one of the largest propane suppliers in the state, with budget and pre-buy plans, automatic delivery, and an A-plus BBB rating. Covers all three counties.
See the reviews ›Sussex coast
Baker Petroleum
Milton, Delaware
4.036 reviews, Chamber of Commerce
Family-owned since 1952 and BBB-accredited, serving all of Sussex and part of Kent from Milton, with 24-hour emergency delivery to the Milton, Lewes and Rehoboth corridor.
See the reviews ›Delaware propane, the questions people ask
Does this page list every licensed propane dealer in Delaware?
No, and we will not pretend otherwise. Delaware has no single public, consumer-facing per-dealer LP-gas registry we can republish the way Wisconsin, Texas or Florida do. The Delaware State Fire Marshal licenses retail LP-gas dispensing sites and bulk plants and holds the tank-plan submittals, but it does not publish a browsable list of retail propane sellers you can search by name. So this page does not carry a full state dealer directory. What we offer instead is a hand-checked shortlist of well-reviewed operators by region, plus the ZIP finder at /propane-prices-near-me/ and the supplier directory at /supplier/ to find companies serving your exact address.
Which other Delaware operators are worth a quote, and what about New Castle County?
A few long-established Delaware energy companies carry thinner public review counts but decades of local delivery, so rather than dress up a handful of ratings, here they are as a starting point for a call: Peninsula Oil & Propane, based in Milford and Seaford, covering Kent and Sussex since 1935; and Compass Energy (Laurel Petroleum) in Laurel, covering western and coastal Sussex since the 1940s. In the north, Wilmington, Newark and most of New Castle County run on natural gas, so propane specialists are fewer there. Poore's and Sharp both deliver into New Castle, and national carriers Suburban Propane and AmeriGas also serve the corridor, though reviews are mixed, so quote them against a local. Confirm current service and licensing before you commit, and use the ZIP finder for your exact town.
How much does propane cost per gallon in Delaware?
Delaware residential propane is $3.73/gallon in the latest EIA State Heating Oil and Propane Program (SHOPP) residential survey, which is 40% above the $2.67 national average, about $1.06 a gallon more than the US norm. It sits close to the Northeast regional average of $3.69/gallon. The state-level average hides real intra-state spread: a bulk delivery to a poultry operation in southern Sussex is priced very differently from a 100-gallon top-up at a Rehoboth beach rental, and full-service delivery around Wilmington and New Castle differs again. Always pull two or three written quotes before you commit.
Why is propane so expensive in Delaware?
Delaware prices like a Northeast market even though it is a small Mid-Atlantic state. Three structural drivers. First, distance from Gulf production: Delaware propane reaches retailers through the Marcus Hook NGL complex in southeast Pennsylvania, fed by Mariner East pipeline flows from the Marcellus and by rail from PADD 3, and every handoff adds a margin layer. Second, natural-gas dominance in the population centres: Wilmington, Newark, New Castle and Dover are served by Delmarva Power and Chesapeake Utilities gas, which leaves propane demand concentrated in rural Sussex, Kent farmland and the coastal resort strip, so route density and price competition are thinner. Third, a heating-oil legacy: many older Delaware homes still run number-2 fuel oil for space heat, so propane is often a secondary fuel, which weakens per-household gallons and route economics versus a propane-dominant state.
Does the Delaware Energy Assistance Program (DEAP / LIHEAP) help pay for propane?
Yes. The Delaware Energy Assistance Program (DEAP) is the state's LIHEAP-funded heating-bill assistance program, administered by the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), Division of Social Services. Propane-heated households are explicitly eligible alongside natural-gas, electric, oil and wood customers. Income eligibility is set at or below 60% of Delaware State Median Income. For the current program year the heating benefit ranges from a $100 minimum to a $2,464 maximum, and crisis assistance runs up to $10,000; the heating window is October 1 to April 30, and crisis help is available year-round. Apply through the ASSIST self-service portal at assist.dhss.delaware.gov, through Catholic Charities in New Castle County, or by calling the Division of Social Services at 302-255-9875 or dialing 211. County intake lines are New Castle 302-654-9295, Kent 302-674-1782 and Sussex 302-856-6310. Apply early, because crisis-only requests can face delivery delays in the January-February cold.
Who regulates propane delivery and meter accuracy in Delaware, and how do I verify a supplier?
Two state authorities split the work, and there is no single online dealer lookup, so verification is a phone-and-paper step. The Delaware State Fire Marshal enforces the LP-Gas Code (NFPA 58): any business engaged in retail LP-gas dispensing, or installing tanks with an aggregate water capacity of 1,000 gallons or more, must hold an annual State Fire Marshal license, and tank-plan submittals are required for every retail dispensing site regardless of tank size. Those submittals are public record. Contact the office at [email protected] or 302-739-5665, published at statefiremarshal.delaware.gov, to confirm a company's licensing before you sign. Separately, the Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA) Weights and Measures Section enforces meter accuracy on every bobtail delivery truck under Delaware Code Title 6 Chapter 51; a DDA inspector can inspect a delivery vehicle's metering system and ticket. If you suspect a short fill, the DDA Weights and Measures complaint line is the right channel, not the supplier.
What's driving propane demand in Sussex County?
Sussex County is the largest broiler-chicken-producing county in the United States, and propane-fueled poultry-house brooders are a year-round, weather-sensitive demand source. A broiler house runs a bank of propane brooders through the first two to three weeks of each flock cycle, when chicks need 90-degree floor temperatures, and growers cannot switch fuel mid-flock without animal-welfare risk. Multiply that across thousands of houses supplying Mountaire, Perdue, Allen Harim and Amick and Sussex propane demand is structurally large and inelastic. It competes for the same supplier capacity that serves homes, which is a big part of why rural Sussex residential rates can sit at or above the state average rather than below it. The same county also burns grain-drying propane through the autumn harvest and irrigation-engine propane through the summer.
How does the Atlantic coast season affect Delaware propane prices?
The Lewes, Rehoboth, Bethany and Fenwick corridor and the bayside towns run a sharp seasonal demand cycle. Beach rentals and second homes that sit empty November through April fire up propane water heaters, ranges, pool heaters and outdoor kitchens from Memorial Day weekend, and many request first-fill or top-up deliveries in May and June, right as wholesale prices hit their annual low. The tactical play for a full-time coastal resident is to schedule the fall top-up in late September after the Labor Day wave settles, and the spring fill in late April before the rental rush. Pre-buy or cap-price contracts signed May through July almost always undercut what you will be quoted at any other point in the year.
When is the cheapest time to buy propane in Delaware?
Late spring through midsummer. Wholesale propane bottoms in June and July when refinery output is high, residential heating demand is near zero, and Marcus Hook storage is full ahead of the next winter draw. Most Delaware suppliers open pre-buy and cap-price enrollment around May 1 and close it at the end of August. Cap-price contracts let you keep the savings if wholesale falls, while a flat pre-buy locks you in either direction. Practical cadence: top up to 75-80% in late September at shoulder-season pricing rather than entering January at 40-50% and scrambling for a winter spot-rate fill. Setting your auto-fill trigger at 30% rather than 20% gives the supplier route flexibility, and some Delaware suppliers pass a small per-gallon discount back for the higher threshold.
Keep reading
All Delaware dealers
Delaware 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 heating oil
Per-BTU economics and conversion costs, the live question for older Delaware homes.
500-gallon tank cost
Buy, install and refill costs for the most common residential tank size.