Iowa heating oil prices
The last reading of the season, from the EIA's weekly survey. The series resumes in October.
per gallon · Iowa residential average
Week ending 2026-03-30 · U.S. Energy Information Administration · surveyed weekly, October through March
What Iowa heating oil costs to heat with
A price per gallon says nothing on its own — equipment efficiency decides how much of it reaches the room. At a mid-efficiency boiler at 84% AFUE, Iowa heating oil delivers heat at $36.31 per million BTU.
| Equipment | Efficiency | $ / million BTU delivered |
|---|---|---|
| Older oil boiler / furnace | 80% AFUE | $38.12 |
| Mid-efficiency | 84% AFUE | $36.31 |
| Modern condensing | 87% AFUE | $35.06 |
The other heating fuels in Iowa
At today's prices natural gas, a heat pump and propane all deliver the same heat for less than heating oil does here — before any equipment cost.
| Fuel | Price | $ / million BTU delivered |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | $15.72/Mcf | $16.84 |
| Electricity (cold-climate heat pump) | 14.14¢/kWh | $18.84 |
| Propane | $1.660/gallon | $20.16 |
| Electricity (baseboard) | 14.14¢/kWh | $41.44 |
Electricity is shown twice on purpose: a heat pump and a baseboard heater run on the same electricity but differ by a factor of two, so quoting one figure for "electric heat" would be meaningless. Combustion figures assume a 90% AFUE furnace. Nothing here includes the cost of buying or installing the equipment, which is usually what decides a switch. How the fallbacks work.