Heating Oil Price Today
Latest available No. 2 heating oil futures prices via our professional API. API responses include source timestamps so you can judge freshness before using a value.
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Timestamped Futures Data
NYMEX No. 2 heating oil futures with source timestamps when available
Home Heating Benchmark
Primary pricing reference for Northeast US residential heating oil markets
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Start 7-Day Free Trial →About the Heating Oil Market
Market Overview
Heating oil (No. 2 fuel oil) is a petroleum distillate product primarily used for space heating in residential and commercial buildings. The NYMEX heating oil futures contract is the global benchmark, priced in US dollars per gallon. The Northeast United States — particularly New York and New England — accounts for the majority of US heating oil consumption, making regional weather events a major price driver.
Key Market Factors
- Winter weather patterns in the Northeast US
- Crude oil prices (Brent and WTI as feedstock)
- Distillate inventory levels and refinery capacity
- Competition from natural gas for heating demand
- Geopolitical supply disruptions and OPEC decisions
Energy Commodity Price Data
Heating Oil
USD per gallon
Current PageHeating Oil Seasonal Patterns
Winter Demand (Nov–Mar)
- Peak heating demand from Northeast US households
- Cold snaps cause rapid price spikes within days
- Distillate inventory drawdowns tighten supply
- Prices typically peak in January and February
Summer Low Season (Jun–Aug)
- Lowest prices of the year — ideal for summer fill-ups
- Refiners build distillate inventories ahead of winter
- Budget and cap plans allow consumers to lock in rates
- Summer savings of 10–25% vs winter peak pricing
Heating Oil Price FAQ
What is the heating oil price today?
The latest available heating oil price is $4.49 per gallon based on NYMEX No. 2 heating oil futures. Use the source timestamp before using a value in production workflows.
Why is heating oil so expensive?
Heating oil prices are driven by three main factors: seasonal demand (prices spike in winter as Northeast US households increase consumption), crude oil correlation (heating oil is refined from crude, so Brent and WTI prices directly affect costs), and refining margins (the spread between crude input and distillate output). Geopolitical events can amplify all three.
What is the difference between heating oil and diesel?
Heating oil (No. 2 fuel oil) and diesel are chemically nearly identical distillate products. The key differences are in their use and taxation: diesel is taxed for road use and dyed red when sold as off-road fuel, while heating oil is untaxed and dyed red to prevent illegal use in vehicles. Their prices trade closely together on NYMEX, making heating oil futures a useful proxy for diesel cost forecasting.
How can I get heating oil prices via API?
Access latest available heating oil prices through OilPriceAPI with a simple REST call using the HEATING_OIL_USD commodity code. Sign up for a free 7-day trial (10,000 requests, no credit card required). Responses are returned in JSON format with source timestamps when a value is available.
When is the best time to buy heating oil?
Historically, heating oil prices are lowest in summer (June–August) when demand is minimal and refiners are building inventory. A summer fill-up can save 10–25% compared to peak winter pricing. Many homeowners use automatic delivery or budget plans to average costs across the year. Prices typically peak in January and February during cold snaps.
The instrument called heating oil is a study in how names outlive their referents. The NYMEX contract keeps the ticker HO and the name heating oil, but since the May 2013 contract it has specified ultra-low-sulfur diesel delivered at New York Harbor. The name describes the product's history; the specification describes what actually trades. This page serves a heating-oil price from market-reporting sources.
The 2013 specification change
Road diesel in the United States has been capped at 15 parts per million sulfur since 2006. Heating oil was federally unregulated and historically ran orders of magnitude higher, with Northeastern states mandating low-sulfur heating oil on their own schedules from 2012 onward. In 2013 the futures market resolved the divergence: the NYMEX contract adopted the 15 ppm ultra-low-sulfur specification with the May 2013 contract while retaining the heating-oil name and ticker.
The consequence: the futures instrument most people call heating oil is, by specification, diesel. Physical heating oil delivered to homes can still differ from it by sulfur grade in some jurisdictions, by regional basis, and by delivery cost.
Relationship to the diesel series on this site
This heating-oil series and our DIESEL_USD series are related but distinct: DIESEL_USD is derived primarily from a heating-oil market blend (a relationship documented on that page, with the measured divergence figures from the EIA assessments), while this page carries the heating-oil quotation itself from market-reporting sources. When the two move apart, the difference reflects their differing source bases rather than a physical spread.
Seasonality
Heating-oil demand is concentrated in the October-March heating season, and roughly four-fifths of US households using it are in the Northeast. The seasonal pull can lift heating-oil-linked prices relative to road diesel in cold snaps and relax them in shoulder months. Any model using a heating-oil series as a year-round diesel proxy inherits that seasonal basis.
Heating Oil FAQ
When are heating oil prices seasonally highest?
Demand concentrates in the October-March heating season, with the sharpest sensitivity during Northeast cold events, where most US heating-oil households are located. Prices reflect anticipated as well as realized cold, so seasonal strength often arrives before the coldest weeks.
Related Energy Commodities
Nearly identical distillate, road-use pricing
Competing home heating fuel, Henry Hub benchmark
Global crude benchmark, heating oil feedstock
Multi-year heating oil price history and trends
Build With Timestamped Heating Oil Data
Use API responses with source timestamps and explicit unavailable states instead of showing stale or zero values as market prices.
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# Get your API key instantly after signup
curl https://api.oilpriceapi.com/v1/prices/HEATING_OIL_USD \
-H 'Authorization: Token YOUR_API_KEY'
# Response:
{
"price": 4.49,
"currency": "USD",
"unit": "gallon",
"timestamp": "2026-08-21T23:02:49.336Z"
}