Energy Information Administration (Tuesday February 22, 2000)-The use of fuel oil has changed over the past two decades, according to the Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Residential Energy Consumption Surveys (RECS). Since 1978, the percentage of households using electricity as their main heating fuel has nearly doubled, from 16 percent in 1978 to 30 percent in 1997. Nevertheless, natural gas remained the most frequently used main heating fuel, used by 55 percent of households in 1978 and 52 percent in 1997, with little change over the 19-year period. Over the same period, the percentage of households mainly using fuel oil or kerosene for space heat decreased from 22 percent to 10 percent (graph).

In 1997, of the approximately 102 million households in the US, roughly 1 in 10 homes used fuel oil for space, water or other comfort needs. In those 10 million homes, during 1997, over 7.2 billion gallons of fuel oil were consumed, yielding an annual average of 730 gallons per home. Householders spent $136 billion on energy with fuel oil costs representing a little over $7 billion, in 1997, resulting in an annual fuel oil expense of $714 per household at an average US retail price of $0.98 per gallon, according to the latest Residential Energy Consumption Survey.

Heating oil prices for East Coast consumers started this winter at just over $1 per gallon, but rising crude oil prices drove them up nearly 21 cents per gallon through mid-January. With the continuing upward pressure from crude oil markets, magnified by a regional shortfall of heating oil supplies, residential prices have jumped significantly since January 17. EIA’s State Heating Oil and Propane Price Survey for February 14 has been collected, and the data show significant declines in line with the drop in diesel fuel prices.

East Coast consumers (map) are acutely affected by changing fuel oil prices because 3 out of 4 US households using fuel oil are located in the Northeast Census Region.

Estimates used to write this article may be found in the Energy Information Administration report, "A Look at Residential Energy Consumption in 1997, DOE/EIA-0632(97)," or available online as a free, public-use database of nearly 6,000 US household units.

High oil prices and, in particular, home heating oil prices in the Northeast and New England, have generated a high volume of phone traffic from the public who are calling the Department of Energy (DOE) to voice their concern. The DOE's Office of Consumer Information has set up a Home Heating Oil Hotline (800-735-8004; until March 15, 2000) to help the Department of Energy handle these public inquiries in a helpful and efficient manner.

Main Heating Fuels

Last Modified: May 16, 2002