How heating oil prices work in Maine
Maine has no single price for heating oil. Each dealer sets its own, and a dealer with several branches can post a different price at each one. Prices also follow the wholesale market, so a price posted last week may not be today’s.
Full-service and discount dealers
Full-service dealers usually offer automatic delivery, budget payment plans and furnace service. Discount dealers, often called cash or COD dealers, usually offer fewer services: you call when you need oil and pay when it’s delivered.
Minimums and fees
Many dealers have a minimum delivery, commonly 100 gallons, and some charge more for smaller or same-day deliveries. Ask when you call, and compare the whole cost, not just the price per gallon.
Heating oil or kerosene?
Most Maine homes with an oil furnace or boiler burn No. 2 heating oil, often from a tank in the basement. Kerosene is a lighter fuel that stays liquid at lower temperatures, so it’s used for outdoor tanks, many mobile homes and direct-vent heaters. It usually costs more per gallon.
Heating oil (No. 2)
- Often used for
- Indoor tanks feeding a furnace or boiler
- Price
- Usually the lower price per gallon
Kerosene (K-1)
- Often used for
- Outdoor tanks, mobile homes and direct-vent heaters
- Price
- Usually a higher price per gallon
Some households with an outdoor tank have their dealer blend kerosene into the oil in the coldest months so it doesn’t gel. Don’t change your fuel or blend without asking your dealer or service technician.
When to order
Check your tank gauge regularly and order before it drops to a quarter tank. Running low risks running out in a cold snap, and in the busiest weeks of winter a delivery can take a few days.
Reading the tank gauge
Most indoor tanks have a float gauge on top, marked from F to E. A common indoor tank holds 275 gallons, so a quarter tank is roughly 70 gallons.
How much to order
Ordering more at once can meet a dealer’s minimum and avoid a small-delivery charge. When you report a price in the app, you also give the gallons, so others can compare like with like.
Reading a price in the app
Each dealer in your town’s list shows these four things. Dealers nearby that may deliver are listed after the ones that do, nearest first.
- Why it’s listed. “Lists Gorham on its website” means the dealer names your town on its own website. A branch name and a distance mean it’s listed because that branch is nearby. “Neighbors report deliveries here” means two or more people reported deliveries from it to your town in the past year.
- Which branch, and when. The branch the price comes from, usually the one nearest your town, and the day it was posted.
- The price. Per gallon, at that branch. Confirm it when you call.
- Call. Tap to call the dealer. The phone number is also written out, for dialing from a landline.
The app also shows what people reported paying, kept separate from advertised prices and never averaged in.
Help paying for heat
Maine’s Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), run by MaineHousing, helps eligible households pay heating costs. You can apply online or through your local Community Action Agency.
If you’re close to running out of fuel, tell your Community Action Agency. Emergency help may be available.
Questions and answers
How much is heating oil in Maine right now?
It depends on the dealer and on your town. Each dealer sets its own price, and a dealer’s branches can post different ones. The app shows the latest advertised price from each dealer that delivers to your town, with the day it was posted.
Is kerosene more expensive than heating oil?
Usually, per gallon. Kerosene stays liquid at lower temperatures, so it’s used for outdoor tanks, many mobile homes and direct-vent heaters. The app lists oil and kerosene prices separately.
Why do prices differ from town to town?
Dealers deliver from branches, and each branch can post its own price. The app shows each dealer at the price of its branch nearest your town, so you compare prices posted near where you live.
How often are prices updated?
Each advertised price shows the day the dealer posted it, so you can see how fresh it is. Confirm the price when you call.
Why isn’t my dealer listed?
Coverage is thin north and east of Bangor, where few dealers post their prices. If you’re signed in, you can add a dealer that isn’t listed when you report a price.
Do I need an account?
No. Prices, towns, favorites and other people’s reports all work without signing in. You sign in to report a price, to confirm, dispute or flag a report, to block someone, or to add a dealer.
Is my location shared?
Your coordinates and street address are never sent to our server. Your phone looks up your town, the app keeps only the town you confirm, and the rest is discarded. The privacy policy has the details.
Does Maine Oil Prices sell oil?
No. We are not a dealer and are not affiliated with any dealer. Confirm the price with the dealer before you order.
Compare prices for your town
Maine Oil Prices is free, with no purchases and no subscriptions. Coming to the App Store and Google Play.
- Coming soon to theApp Store
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