Additional Information
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Oil Heat Information
Heating oil is a petroleum product used by many Americans to heat their homes. Historically, heating oil prices have fluctuated from year to year and month to month, generally being higher during the winter months when demand is higher. To understand the reasons for these price variations, consumers need to understand how heating oil is used and how and where it is produced.
Who uses heating oil?
Of the 107 million households in the United States, approximately 8.1 million households use heating oil as their main heating fuel. Residential space heating is the primary use for heating oil, making the demand highly seasonal. Most of the heating oil use occurs during October through March. The area of the country most reliant on heating oil is the Northeast (see box below). Some customers try to beat rising winter prices by filling their storage tanks in the summer or early fall when the prices are likely to be lower. However, most homeowners do not have large enough storage tanks to store the full amount needed to meet winter demands. Because homeowners may have to refill their tanks as often as 4 or 5 times during the heating season, possible rising or spiking prices are a concern.
Where does heating oil come from?
The United States has two sources of heating oil: domestic refineries and imports from foreign countries. Refineries produce heating oil as a part of the “distillate fuel oil” product family, which includes heating oils and diesel fuel. Distillate products are shipped throughout the United States by pipelines, barges, tankers, trucks and rail cars. Most imports of distillate come from Canada, the Virgin Islands, and Venezuela. Refiners are limited in the amount of heating oil they can make to meet the demands of the winter heating season. Some winter heating oil is produced by refineries in the summer and fall months and stored for winter use. During the coldest winter months, the inventories that are built in summer and fall are used to help meet the high demand. Refiners can increase heating oil production in the winter to a modest degree, but they quickly reach a point where, to produce more heating oil, they would also have to produce more of other petroleum products which could not be sold in sufficient quantities during the winter months. On the other hand, if consumer demand is high for a seasonal product, such as gasoline, refiners may delay producing heating oil for the winter, which may lower inventories at the start of the heating season. This was the case in September and October 2005, after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita shut down Gulf Coast production capacity. As gasoline prices shot up over $3.00 per gallon, refiners had incentive to produce more gasoline at a time when they would normally concentrate on heating oil production. Heating oil is brought into oil storage terminals in an area by refiners and other suppliers. For example, heating oil may be delivered to a central distribution area, such as New York Harbor, where it is then redistributed by barge to other consuming areas, such as New England. Once heating oil is in the consuming area, it is redistributed by truck to smaller storage tanks closer to a retail dealer’s customers, or directly to residential customers.
How much does a gallon of heating oil cost?
Heating oil prices paid by consumers are determined by the cost of crude oil, the cost to produce the product, the cost to market and distribute the product, as well as the profits (sometimes losses) of refiners, wholesalers and dealers. In 2005, crude oil accounted for 58 percent of the cost of a gallon of heating oil. The next largest component, distribution and marketing costs, accounted for approximately 21 percent of the cost of a gallon of heating oil. Lastly, refinery processing costs accounted for another 21 percent. (See Figure 1.) 
Why do heating oil prices fluctuate?
Heating oil prices paid by consumers can vary over time and by where a consumer lives. Prices can change for a variety of reasons. These include: Seasonality in the demand for heating oil
When crude oil prices are stable, home heating oil prices tend to gradually rise in the winter months when demand is highest. However, at times, prices can surge quickly to very high levels (see box on “What Causes a Surge in Heating Oil Prices”). A homeowner in the Northeast might use 650-1000 gallons of heating oil during a typical winter, while consuming very little during the rest of the year. Changes in the cost of crude oil
Since crude oil is a major price component of heating oil, changes in the price of crude oil will generally affect the price of heating oil. (See Figure 2.) Crude oil prices are determined by worldwide supply and demand. Demand can vary worldwide with the economy and with weather. Supply can be infl uenced by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other factors. Competition in local markets Competitive differences can be substantial between a locality with only one or a few suppliers or dealers versus an area with a large number of competitors. Consumers in remote or rural locations may face higher prices because there are fewer competitors. Regional operating costs
Prices also are impacted by higher costs of transporting the product to remote locations. In addition, the cost of doing business by dealers can vary substantially depending on the area of the country in which the dealer is located. Costs of doing business include wages and salaries, benefits, equipment, lease/rent, insurance, overhead, and state and local fees.
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