Americans brace for brutal winter amid surging cost of heating oil

Americans who rely on heating oil to warm up their homes are bracing for higher costs this fall and winter.

“If you don't have heat, you will freeze to death,” said Brittney Worden, a mother of a young son from Limington, Maine.

“For our fellow Mainers, I'm worried. This is such a high increase and the overall effect that it's going to have on our community -- this is scary,” Worden added.

In Maine, the average statewide price for heating oil is $5.97 per gallon as of Oct. 5, 2026, according to the Maine Department of Energy Resources Heating Fuel Prices. Worden, who also owns a small firewood business, said the increased cost is a top concern for her family.

Worden said she paid about $4 per gallon for heating oil last year.

“I am predicting [paying] close to $5,000 to heat my home this winter. That's a lot of money,” she told ABC News.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said the jump in heating oil prices is directly connected to the rise in diesel prices because they are "essentially the same product" and are made through the same oil refining process.

"Diesel and heating oil prices are really more tied to the developing state of Ukraine attacking Russian oil refineries," De Haan told ABC News. "Traditionally, Russia is a major supplier of diesel for the global market, and since July, as a result of the drone attacks, Russia has banned the export of diesel, so that has contributed to a very tight global market for diesel and driven prices up significantly."

Global diesel prices have also been heavily strained by the war in Iran.

The current average cost of a gallon of diesel is $6.29, nearly double the price from last year, he noted.

"We've seen the price of diesel skyrocket," he said, adding that heating oil customers could be "paying potentially $7 a gallon" in the next few months.

Amid rising costs, President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he made a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to immediately import 300,000 tons of its diesel fuel from Russia, but his plan has drawn backlash from a small group of bipartisan senators who oppose lifting Russian oil sanctions amid the war with Ukraine.

The president defended his plan in a social media post on Monday, saying it’s "the right choice for the American People."

De Haan said he’s “not sure” if Trump’s plan to purchase diesel from Russia “will take place” because “Russia is finding it very difficult to produce as much diesel for their domestic market.”

“The situation amongst Ukraine and Russia is going to be very impactful for determining where diesel prices are during the winter,” he said.

According to a U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) report released last week, households that "primarily use electricity or heating oil for space heating are expected to spend more," though natural gas and propane costs may not rise as much.

"Relatively high natural gas inventories” in the U.S. "provide a cushion for heating demand, while households that rely on heating oil face higher prices because distillate markets remain tight," EIA Administrator Tristan Abbey said.

Bill Morrell, president of Atlantic Heating Company in Portland, Maine, told ABC News the rise in oil prices “hurts everybody.”

“When the oil gets this high, it hurts everybody. It hurts us. We have to pay more for a product that we're not making any more profit on,” Morrell said. “Then it hurts the consumer, obviously the worst, because the prices are astronomical right now and that's not good.”

Heating oil is primarily used to power furnaces, boilers and water heaters in residential or commercial heating systems.

According to the EIA, about 3% of U.S. households buy heating oil and customers will pay about 21% more than last winter.

Morrell said his company, which serves about 4,000 customers, is struggling too. Some of his customers have asked about converting their heating systems to propane or natural gas.

"It's a tough situation for everybody involved," he said.

De Haan said prices for natural gas and propane have been "more insulated" from the developments in the global market.

"Propane inventories are quite a bit above their average for this time of year. Natural gas supplies are above average for this time of year as well," De Haan said, adding that the U.S. has become "the world's largest producer" of natural gas.

Elizabeth Minor, a grandmother from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, primarily relies on heating oil to warm up her home.

“It's very sad that we're all struggling here and dealing with these prices of everything. And it's not just me, it's so many others,” she told ABC News.

According to Minor, the cost of filling up one tank of oil has nearly tripled in recent months, so she is looking at utilizing her propane-powered fireplace this winter because it’s cheaper.

“I'm on a fixed income and it's going to be very tight,” she said. “I gotta stretch it out … keep [the] thermostat on the lowest setting possible.”

Scott Glanz, an owner of Top Tier Fuel in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, told ABC News that many of his customers are concerned they won’t be able to heat their homes.

“I feel horrible for a lot of people because it's going to be a struggle this winter if things don't start coming down very shortly,” he said.

According to Glanz, heating oil prices have increased by more than $2 per gallon in the last year, with current prices now reaching $5.69 a gallon.

“I pray that the prices do come down because I just don't want to see people hurt financially,” he added.

Because fewer customers are able to afford filling up more than one tank, Glanz's trucks will have to make more trips to deliver incremental oil orders. Glanz acknowledged this year will be difficult to make a profit.

Worden echoed Glanz's concerns, saying rising costs have led to fear and anxiety in her New England community.

“People have been coming out of the woodwork because they're honestly scared and worried of how they're going to heat their homes,” she said. “If our homes freeze up here, our water pipes are gonna burst.”