In collaboration with the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Dept. of Public Service (PSD) conducts a regular survey of local heating fuel retailers in order to collect a sample of unit prices charged to Vermont customers.
The Heating Fuel Price Survey (HFPS) is conducted weekly during the heating season, from October to March, and monthly during the April-to-September time frame. Respondents are asked to report unit prices offered for payment plan purchases (i.e., the credit price), as well as any discounted unit prices offered for payment-in-full purchases (i.e., the cash price). The table below presents the simple average of all prices collected during each month of the year – including both full cash prices and discounted credit prices. Note, the EIA also calculates and reports average heating fuel prices in Vermont, using a different averaging methodology that weights reported prices with an estimated volume of the supplier’s unit sales and a smaller sample frame with fewer survey respondents.
All fuel prices in Vermont are down in December as compared to this time last year, according to the Public Service Dept. The average price of heating oil in Vermont is down 22%. Propane is down 3%, gasoline 19%, and diesel and kerosene are both 17% less today than 12 months ago.
