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What Influences Propane Prices?
What will propane gas cost to fill your tank this year? What kind of price can I expect from my propane supplier? Propane prices occasionally spike, increasing disproportionately beyond that expected from normal supply/demand fluctuations. The main cause appears to lie in the logistical difficulty of obtaining resupply during the peak heating season. Because propane is produced at a relatively steady rate year-round by refineries and gas processing plants, there is no ready source of incremental production when supplies run low.
Propane wholesalers and retailers are forced to pay higher prices as propane markets are bid higher due to dwindling supply. Consequently, higher propane prices are simply passed on to consumers. Imports do not offer much cushion for unexpected demand increases or supply shortages due to the long travel time. On the other hand, when propane prices do spike, the petrochemical sector may cut back on its use, thus freeing up supplies for other uses.
Propane prices are subject to a number of influences, some common to all petroleum products, and others unique to propane. Because propane is portable, it can serve many different markets, from fueling barbecue grills to producing petrochemicals. The price of propane in these markets is influenced by many factors, including the prices of competing fuels in each market; the distance propane has to travel to reach a customer; and the volumes used by a customer. More especially, propane prices are affected by Crude Oil and Natural Gas Prices. Although propane is produced from both crude oil refining and natural gas processing, its price is influenced mainly by the cost of crude oil. This is because propane competes mostly with crude oil-based fuels.
The EIA updates the weekly prices from October to March each year. These are the final prices for the 2012-2013 propane heating season.
| Weekly Residential Propane Prices | |||||
| East Coast (PADD 1) | 3/4/2013 | 3/11/2013 | 3/18/2013 | ||
| New England (PADD 1A) | |||||
| Connecticut | 2.866 | 2.877 | 2.864 | ||
| Maine | 2.761 | 2.766 | 2.748 | ||
| Massachusetts | 3.208 | 3.206 | 3.205 | ||
| New Hampshire | 3.24 | 3.239 | 3.203 | ||
| Rhode Island | 3.515 | 3.511 | 3.514 | ||
| Vermont | 3.57 | 3.546 | 3.515 | ||
| Central Atlantic (PADD 1B) | |||||
| Delaware | 3.024 | 3.035 | 3.039 | ||
| Maryland | 3.162 | 3.163 | 3.161 | ||
| New Jersey | 3.355 | 3.359 | 3.337 | ||
| New York | 2.928 | 2.933 | 2.935 | ||
| Pennsylvania | 2.929 | 2.94 | 2.927 | ||
| Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C) | |||||
| North Carolina | 2.768 | 2.769 | 2.766 | ||
| Virginia | 2.899 | 2.913 | 2.898 | ||
| Midwest (PADD 2) | |||||
| Illinois | |||||
| Indiana | 1.964 | 1.955 | 1.954 | ||
| Iowa | 1.405 | 1.397 | 1.398 | ||
| Kansas | |||||
| Kentucky | 2.177 | 2.186 | 2.186 | ||
| Michigan | 2.144 | 2.143 | 2.131 | ||
| Minnesota | 1.635 | 1.625 | 1.628 | ||
| Missouri | 1.729 | 1.722 | 1.719 | ||
| Nebraska | 1.353 | 1.365 | 1.36 | ||
| North Dakota | 1.556 | 1.556 | 1.559 | ||
| Ohio | 2.43 | 2.428 | 2.433 | ||
| South Dakota | 1.48 | 1.465 | 1.458 | ||
| Wisconsin | 1.566 | 1.57 | 1.556 | ||
| source Energy Information Agency | |||||
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Use these prices as a guide when purchasing propane gas.