EIA residential propane, Virginia
Virginia propane prices: $3.56 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 Southern state that prices like a Mid-Atlantic one: propane lives in the rural counties west of Interstate 95 while the urban crescent runs on natural gas, and the Commonwealth licenses the fitter who connects your tank, not the company that fills it.
Latest EIA residential propane price
Source: EIA State Heating Oil and Propane Program, Virginia residential series. Refreshed automatically every Tuesday in season; wholesale daily.
Virginia at a glance
Latest survey$3.56/gal
vs week before+1.2c
vs 4 weeks before+5.5c
vs same week last year-1%
vs US ($2.67)33% above
Among 38 surveyed states28th cheapest
500-gal fill (400 usable)$1426
Week by week, 2025-26 season
Virginia against the US average
Every point is an EIA survey week. This season Virginia ran from a low of $3.41 (17 Nov) to a high of $3.56 (30 Mar), with the US average finishing at $2.67. Against the same week a year earlier it is -1%.
$3.41
Season low
17 November 2025
$3.56
Season high
30 March 2026
$3.62
Same week last year
31 March 2025, now -1%
$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 Virginia prices are heading.
What a fill costs in Virginia at $3.56
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 $3.56 | vs US ($2.67) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 gal | 80 gal | $285 | +$71 |
| 250 gal | 200 gal | $713 | +$178 |
| 500 gal | 400 gal | $1426 | +$356 |
| 1000 gal | 800 gal | $2852 | +$713 |
A Virginia home heating on propane through a typical winter burns 1,000 to 1,500 gallons, so fuel alone runs about $3565 to $5348 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.
Virginia against its South neighbours
The Gulf Coast and lower-Plains states, closest to production, are typically the cheapest for residential propane in the country and anchor the low end of the table below. Virginia sits at the opposite end of the Southern table, competing with Mid-Atlantic and Northeast pricing rather than its regional neighbours.
| State | Price/gal | 500-gal fill | vs US ($2.67) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | $2.27 | $909 | -15% |
| Arkansas | $2.37 | $947 | -11% |
| Louisiana (regional est.) | $2.93 | $1172 | +10% |
| Kentucky | $2.94 | $1174 | +10% |
| Texas | $2.99 | $1196 | +12% |
| Mississippi | $3.05 | $1221 | +14% |
| Georgia | $3.16 | $1266 | +18% |
| Tennessee | $3.25 | $1299 | +21% |
| North Carolina | $3.45 | $1380 | +29% |
| South Carolina (regional est.) | $3.51 | $1405 | +31% |
| West Virginia (regional est.) | $3.51 | $1405 | +31% |
| Alabama | $3.52 | $1406 | +31% |
| Virginia | $3.56 | $1426 | +33% |
| Maryland | $3.74 | $1496 | +40% |
| Florida | $4.71 | $1882 | +76% |
| South average | $3.26 | $1304 | +22% |
States marked regional est. are not surveyed individually by EIA and carry their PADD regional figure. Full table on prices by state.
Why Virginia runs 33% over the national average
Most Southern states sit comfortably below the US propane average. Virginia does not. The drivers are structural and geographic, not seasonal, and they are unlikely to normalise back toward the South cluster without a shift in the state's natural-gas-versus-propane household mix.
Rural Appalachian and Shenandoah routes.
Virginia's propane base concentrates in the rural counties west of Interstate 95: the Appalachian coalfields (Wise, Russell, Buchanan, Tazewell), the Blue Ridge highlands, and the Shenandoah Valley from Winchester south through Roanoke. Natural-gas mains do not reach most of these counties, so propane is the default heating fuel and long bobtail routes between fills push per-gallon delivery overhead well above a route-dense Gulf Coast supplier.
Natural gas and heating oil own the populated ends.
Northern Virginia, the Richmond metro and most of Hampton Roads run on Washington Gas, Virginia Natural Gas or Columbia Gas, and pre-1970 Tidewater housing (Norfolk, Portsmouth, Newport News, the Eastern Shore) was built around heating-oil furnaces that many homes still run. Propane therefore has little urban residential market in Virginia, which keeps the supplier customer base small statewide: fewer route economies, less terminal storage and weaker per-gallon competitive pressure than the Deep South carries.
Northeast-fed supply, not Gulf Coast.
Virginia propane mostly arrives via the NGL pipeline system out of the Marcellus and Utica shale plays in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, with a rail-to-truck handoff at Mid-Atlantic terminals before bobtail delivery. Each handoff adds a margin layer, so Virginia suppliers who hold their own in-state bulk storage tend to price more competitively than those reselling at the wholesale rack.
Hurricane-season backup demand.
Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore and the lower Chesapeake Bay sit in the Atlantic hurricane corridor. Propane-fired generator demand spikes from June through November and after every named storm, and suppliers price the coastal footprint to absorb that inventory whipsaw. Coastal households consistently report higher per-gallon quotes than otherwise comparable inland Shenandoah Valley addresses.
Buying propane well in Virginia: four moves that change the bill
Virginia prices near the top of the South, so the gap between a careless account and a well-run one is real money, often several hundred dollars a winter. Here is where it is won.
01
Verify the DPOR fitter credential
Virginia licenses the installer, not the dealer. Anyone connecting propane lines or setting a tank should hold a current LP-gas fitter credential. Confirm it on the DPOR regulant list at dpor.virginia.gov before any work begins. If a quote feels short, the VDACS Office of Weights and Measures checks the truck meter on 804-786-2476.
02
Lock summer, not autumn
Virginia wholesale bottoms out from May through August. Most Virginia suppliers run pre-buy and cap-price enrolment between May 1 and August 31. A 1,000-gallon household that pre-buys instead of paying January spot rates commonly saves $300 to $600 across the season. Ask for a cap-price contract so you keep the savings if winter wholesale falls, and ask whether unused pre-paid gallons roll forward.
03
Own the tank, quote three tiers
A supplier-owned rental tank legally locks you to one company. Owning your tank turns you into a price shopper. Pull one written quote from each tier: a national chain, a Virginia regional, and a local independent for your county. Per-gallon spreads of 30 to 50 cents within a single Virginia ZIP are routine.
04
Check EAP eligibility early
Virginia's Energy Assistance Program, run by VDSS, pays a one-time heating benefit toward propane for households at or below 150% of the federal poverty level, with payment vendor-direct to your supplier. Fuel Assistance opens the second Tuesday of October and closes the second Friday of November, a narrow window. Apply at commonhelp.virginia.gov or on 855-635-4370. Crisis Assistance covers empty tanks and shut-offs.
Rated by customers
Virginia 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.
Northern Virginia / Hunt Country
Hunt Country Propane
Berryville, Virginia
4.7120 reviews, Birdeye
Independent serving Loudoun, Clarke, Fauquier and Prince William counties, repeatedly cited for fast turnaround and pricing below the national chains in the hunt-country corridor.
See the reviews ›Central Virginia / Blue Ridge
Tiger Fuel Company
Charlottesville, Virginia
4.91,465 reviews, Birdeye
Central Virginia's largest local petroleum and propane distributor, covering Charlottesville, Albemarle and Nelson counties with one of the largest positive review bases of any VA fuel dealer.
See the reviews ›Shenandoah Valley
Rockingham Petroleum
Harrisonburg, Virginia
4.145 reviews, Birdeye
Regional Harrisonburg-based supplier serving Rockingham and Augusta counties, cited by customers for consistent pricing and service across the central Valley.
See the reviews ›Hampton Roads / Tidewater
A&B Propane
Chesapeake, Virginia
4.2112 reviews, Chamber of Commerce
Third-generation family operator based in Chesapeake, serving Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Suffolk and the Isle of Wight, plus the northeastern North Carolina line.
See the reviews ›Southwest Virginia / Appalachia
Abingdon Gas & Appliance
Abingdon, Virginia
5.022 reviews, Birdeye
Long-established Abingdon supplier covering far-southwest Virginia and the eastern-Tennessee line; small but a perfect public review score for propane, appliance and RV service.
See the reviews ›Verified on the state registry
8 of the 342 Virginia licensed LP-gas fitters on the DPOR register
| Dealer | City | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Aaron C Baughan | Goode | listing |
| Adam J Wilson | Port Charlotte | listing |
| Albert Mallory | Palmyra | listing |
| Alfred L Smith Iii | Floyd | listing |
| Allen B Harris | Lanexa | listing |
| Amy Strickland | Christoval | listing |
| Andre M Massenburg | Richmond | listing |
| Andrew T Tatum | Blackstone | listing |
Source: Virginia DPOR Tradesmen regulant list, LP-gas fitter specialty, captured 23 August 2026. DPOR licenses the individual fitter, not the company, so a name here proves a licensed tradesperson works from that address, not that the business is a delivery dealer. Confirm current standing on the DPOR regulant lookup.
Virginia propane, the questions people ask
Does Virginia license propane dealers, and how do I check a company?
Virginia is unusual: the Commonwealth licenses no propane retail companies. There is no state dealer licence to look up. What Virginia does license is the individual tradesperson who installs, connects and services propane systems, the LP-gas fitter specialty issued by the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). You can verify any fitter's credential on the public DPOR regulant list at dpor.virginia.gov/RegulantLists. Tank siting, storage and refilling safety fall under the Virginia LP-Gas Code (an adoption of NFPA 58) within the Statewide Fire Prevention Code, administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and enforced by the State Fire Marshal where localities have no fire-prevention enforcement of their own. Meter accuracy, the gallon counter on the delivery truck, is overseen by the VDACS Office of Weights and Measures (804-786-2476). Because there is no dealer licence, confirm the person doing your install holds a current DPOR LP-gas fitter credential, and cross-check the supplying company against the Virginia Propane Gas Association member directory at vapga.org.
Where do the names on this page come from?
The register on this page is drawn from the DPOR Tradesmen regulant list, the LP-gas fitter specialty file, captured on 23 August 2026, each entry carrying a licence number and expiry date straight from the state record. Read it for what it is: the register of people legally cleared to install and connect propane systems in Virginia, not a list of companies you call to buy gas. For that, use the rated dealer shortlist on this page and the VAPGA member directory. Being on the DPOR list means the credential exists and its status can be verified, it is not an endorsement, so still confirm current standing on the DPOR lookup before work begins.
Am I eligible for Virginia's Energy Assistance Program (EAP) for propane?
EAP is administered by the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) under the federal LIHEAP block grant, and liquid propane and bottled gas are explicitly covered fuels. Households with gross income at or below 150% of the federal poverty level qualify, with priority for households containing someone aged 60 or older, a person with a disability, or a child under six. The program has three components: Fuel Assistance (a one-time heating benefit, roughly $200 to $700), Crisis Assistance (emergency help for shut-off notices, equipment failure or an empty tank), and Cooling Assistance in summer. Fuel Assistance applications open the second Tuesday of October and close the second Friday of November; for the 2025-2026 program year that window ran October 14 to November 14, so it is narrow and you must reapply every year. Payment is typically made vendor-direct to your propane supplier. Apply at commonhelp.virginia.gov, by phone at 855-635-4370 (Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm), or in person at your local Department of Social Services.
Why is propane so expensive in Virginia compared to other Southern states?
Virginia is an outlier in the South. The EIA SHOPP residential price for Virginia is $3.56 a gallon against a $3.26 South regional average and a $2.67 national average. Three structural drivers: (1) Virginia's propane-heated households cluster in rural Appalachian, Blue Ridge and Shenandoah Valley counties where natural-gas mains do not reach, so delivery routes are long and stops per gallon are low; (2) the populous urban crescent (Northern Virginia, Richmond, Hampton Roads) runs on natural gas, which leaves the propane customer base too small for the route economies that pull prices down in the Deep South; (3) Virginia is far from Gulf Coast production, so propane arrives via the Northeast NGL pipeline network out of the Marcellus and Utica plays with a rail-to-truck handoff that adds a margin layer.
When is the cheapest time to fill a propane tank in Virginia?
Late spring through midsummer, roughly May through August, is the consistent low-price window. Virginia residential propane prices fall after the heating season closes in March and April and bottom out before the next pre-buy enrolment opens in late summer. Most Virginia suppliers run pre-buy contracts (lock a per-gallon rate for next winter), cap-price contracts (set a ceiling but benefit if the wholesale market falls), and budget-billing plans between May 1 and August 31. Filling in January or February typically costs 40 to 80 cents more per gallon than a summer pre-buy. If your tank dips below 30% in October, fill at autumn shoulder pricing rather than waiting for a January spike that historically does not reverse before the next pre-buy window opens.
Should I switch from heating oil to propane in Virginia?
Older Tidewater homes (Norfolk, Hampton Roads, Newport News, the Eastern Shore) often still run on heating oil installed when oil delivery was cheap and natural gas had not penetrated the area. Propane delivers about 91,500 BTU per gallon versus 138,500 BTU for heating oil, so you burn roughly 1.5 gallons of propane per gallon of oil for the same heat. At Virginia's current propane rate of $3.56 a gallon versus typical Virginia heating oil at $4.10 to $4.50 a gallon, the per-BTU economics modestly favour oil. Propane wins on cleanliness (no soot, no sulphur, no smell), appliance breadth (range, dryer, generator, pool heater), and the ability to remove an indoor or buried oil tank. Conversion in Virginia runs $6,000 to $11,000 for a new propane furnace or boiler plus an above-ground tank. Payback at current spreads is nine to fifteen years, so switch only if your oil system is at end of life or you specifically want propane for a generator and other gas appliances.
How do I prepare for hurricane season on the Virginia coast?
Virginia's Atlantic coast and Chesapeake Bay communities sit in the hurricane corridor, and generator-driven propane demand spikes from June 1 through November 30. After a major event, regional supplier inventories can be drawn down within 48 to 72 hours. Three practical rules for coastal Virginia households: (1) keep your residential tank above 60% from June through October so a single fill carries a multi-day outage with the generator running plus cooking and water heat; (2) if you rely on a portable cylinder generator, pre-stage at least four 20-lb cylinders, rotate them through the season, and store them outdoors per NFPA 58; (3) sign up for automatic delivery rather than will-call so you are on the route schedule before storms arrive. Suppliers in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk and on the Eastern Shore typically move to priority-delivery rotation 48 to 72 hours before a named storm makes landfall, and auto-delivery customers are served first.
How do I switch propane suppliers in Virginia without losing my tank?
Most Virginia residential propane tanks are owned by the supplier and rented to the homeowner, which legally restricts who can fill them. To switch without buying out the existing tank, your new supplier usually arranges a tank swap: they coordinate with the outgoing company to remove its tank and install their own, typically within one to three weeks. If you own your tank outright, any company employing a licensed Virginia LP-gas fitter can fill it. Owning your tank is the single biggest piece of leverage in Virginia's market because it turns you into a price-shopping customer rather than a captive account. Buying a tank from a supplier in Virginia typically runs $1,000 to $2,800 for a 500-gallon above-ground unit, more for a buried install.
Keep reading
All Virginia dealers
The complete verified directory of 342 Virginia 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 cost for older Tidewater Virginia homes.
500-gallon tank cost
Buy, install and refill costs for the most common rural-Virginia tank size.