New Hampshire Propane Price 2026: Cost Per Gallon, Suppliers & Delivery

New Hampshire residential propane runs $3.78/gal in 2026, sitting in the high cluster of Northeast states and roughly 41% above the national mark. This is the no-spin breakdown: cold-climate cost drivers, fill-by-tank-size math, the propane-vs-cordwood-vs-oil decision, NH Fuel Assistance Program eligibility, and how to actually save money in a market shaped by ski-country routes, second homes, and the Granite State's low-customer-density rural counties.

Latest EIA residential propane price

Source: EIA New Hampshire residential propane price survey. Current data is the final release of the 2025/26 heating season (week ending 30 March 2026). EIA pauses weekly publication April-September; next release expected October 2026. Refreshed 26 May 2026.

New Hampshire Propane Pricing Snapshot (2026)

NH residential avg

$3.78/gal

EIA 2026 weekly survey, full-service residential delivery

vs national average

+41%

National avg $2.67/gal. NH pays $1.11 more per gallon.

vs Northeast region avg

+2%

Region avg $3.69/gal. NH sits in the high-NE cluster.

Annual fuel cost (1,000 gal)

$3780

Typical NH propane-heat household uses 800-1,200 gal/year

500-gallon refill (400 usable)

$1512

Most common residential tank size in NH

Pre-buy savings (May-Aug)

$400-$700/yr

Lock-in or cap-price contracts beat winter spot pricing

New Hampshire is one of the more expensive US markets for residential propane, sitting in the same high-Northeast cluster as Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New York, Maryland, and Vermont. Pricing pressure comes from cold-climate severity, distance from Gulf Coast production, rural mountain delivery routes in Coos and Carroll counties, heating-oil and cordwood competition that limits propane scale, and no in-state production or significant bulk storage.

Why New Hampshire Propane Prices Sit Where They Do

NH consistently sits in the top decile of US residential propane prices. The drivers are structural, not seasonal, and they will not normalise back to the national average without a major shift in regional propane infrastructure or a fundamental change in New England's residential heating mix.

1. Cold-climate severity and peak winter demand. Roughly 20% of NH households use propane as their primary heat source, one of the highest shares in the country. On top of that, propane is widely used in NH for water heating, cooking, fireplaces, generators, and pool heaters even in homes that heat with oil or wood. White Mountain weather concentrates demand into a brutal five-month heating season with January-February peaks that routinely run 7,000+ heating degree days for the season. Suppliers price for that peak.

2. Rural mountain delivery routes. Coos, Carroll, Sullivan, and parts of Grafton county routes cover far fewer customers per mile than southern NH. Mountain elevation, narrow roads, snow-blocked driveways, and ski-country second-home seasonality all push the per-gallon delivery cost above what a Manchester or Nashua route would carry. Rural NH counties pay a real and persistent premium that does not exist on the I-93 corridor.

3. Distance from production and no in-state refining. About 90% of US propane is produced on the Gulf Coast or in the Marcellus/Utica shale (PA, OH, WV). NH sits 1,800+ miles from Gulf supply and depends on pipeline-to-Selkirk-NY plus rail-to-truck terminals in VT, ME, and MA before last-mile truck delivery. NH has no in-state propane production. Every transfer is a margin layer.

4. Heating-oil and cordwood competition limits propane scale. NH is one of the few states where cordwood is still a meaningful primary heating fuel, and heating oil remains dominant in many rural counties. That fragmentation leaves propane as a smaller, more dispersed customer base than in states where one fuel dominates. Fewer customers per supplier route, smaller storage volumes per terminal, and weaker supplier-level economies of scale all push per-gallon overhead up. The Manchester and Nashua corridors are partial exceptions because Liberty Utilities natural-gas service crowds propane out of primary-heat there too.

5. No sales tax, but no consumer pricing rules either. NH's "Live Free or Die" market posture means there is no broad-based sales tax (small win) but also relatively light state-level pricing oversight on deliverable fuels. Suppliers set their own per-gallon rates per zip code per contract type, and per-gallon spreads of 30-50 cents within the same NH town are common. The compensating mechanism is shopping: pull written quotes, every contract.

New Hampshire Propane Companies: How to Build Your Quote List

New Hampshire's residential propane supplier landscape splits cleanly into three tiers: two national chains with statewide coverage, several regional family operators with multi-state New England footprints and in-state bulk storage, and a long tail of local independents (often single-county or single-town operators) that are particularly important in the North Country and Monadnock Region. The framework below describes each tier without endorsing specific companies. Always pull at least three written quotes, one from each tier, before signing a service contract or pre-buy.

National chain (Tier 1)

National retailer

Coverage: Statewide. National retailers operate multiple service points across NH including Concord, Manchester, Laconia, Conway, and Greenland. Coverage spans every NH county.

Notes: Predictable service, 24/7 emergency lines, online ordering, and standardized contracts. Pricing rarely beats regional operators on per-gallon rate. Best when you want wide geographic coverage, are servicing a second home in a rural county, or already have a national-chain tank in place.

National chain (Tier 1)

National retailer

Coverage: Statewide via locations in southern NH (Hillsborough, Rockingham), the Lakes Region (Belknap, Carroll), and the Upper Valley/North Country (Grafton, Coos). Service areas span all ten NH counties.

Notes: 24/7 customer line, automatic delivery with tank-monitoring options, residential and commercial. Comparable pricing to the other Tier-1 national. Negotiate hard on first-fill rate and per-gallon rate before committing to an automatic-delivery contract.

Regional family operator (Tier 2)

Regional family operator

Coverage: Multi-state New England operator headquartered in NH or adjoining state (ME, MA, VT). Service centers across southern, central, and northern NH covering all major regions including the Seacoast, Merrimack Valley, Lakes Region, and Upper Valley.

Notes: Family-owned for decades. Mid-priced. Strong in-state bulk storage, route density, and appliance install/service arms. Often the best blend of competitive pricing and local service. Particularly competitive for owner-occupied year-round homes on dense routes.

Regional family operator (Tier 2)

Regional family operator

Coverage: NH-headquartered with multiple offices statewide. Coverage spans southern NH, the Lakes Region, and the Upper Valley, with selective routes into adjacent counties in MA, VT, and ME.

Notes: Decades of in-state operation with significant on-site bulk storage. Strong appliance and HVAC service arm. Competitive on per-gallon rate for established customers and pre-buy enrollees. Useful for households that want a single vendor for fuel, equipment, and service.

Regional family operator (Tier 2)

Regional family operator

Coverage: Southern NH and northern Massachusetts focus, with selective coverage into southern ME. Strong in Rockingham, Hillsborough, and Strafford counties.

Notes: Family-owned for over 90 years in the regional market. Propane plus heating oil, HVAC, generator install, pool heater service. Often the price leader in dense southern-NH service zones. Some southern-NH operators in this tier offer Renewable Propane (low-carbon blend) for households tracking emissions.

Local independent (Tier 3)

Local independent

Coverage: County-scale or multi-county service area. Common in the North Country (Coos, Carroll, Grafton) and the Monadnock Region (Cheshire, Sullivan).

Notes: Smaller, route-dense operator. Often the price leader in its service zone, with limited geographic reach but tight customer relationships and local dispatch. The cheapest option for households whose home zip is on a dense local route. Confirm the operator holds a current NH fuel gas fitter license before signing.

Local independent (Tier 3)

Local independent

Coverage: Single-county or town-scale operator. Common in rural Sullivan, Belknap, and Coos counties where national chains have thin route density.

Notes: Local dispatch, no remote call center. Often the only practical option in genuinely rural NH zip codes. Smaller pricing footprint, service-focused. Verify NH fuel gas fitter licensing and ask for at least two recent customer references in your town.

Local independent (Tier 3)

Local independent (dual-fuel)

Coverage: Multi-county fuel-oil-and-propane operator. Common in central and northern NH where many households still use heating oil for primary space heat and propane for cooking, water heating, and generators.

Notes: Fuel oil plus propane under one account. Useful for dual-fuel households and for households moving from oil to propane in stages. Often offers combined service contracts that bundle annual furnace/boiler tune-ups with fuel delivery.

Verification note. The NH State Fire Marshal's Office (within the NH Department of Safety, Division of Fire Safety) regulates LP-Gas Code enforcement under NFPA 58 (2020 edition adopted by reference). Any installer or service technician must hold a current NH fuel gas fitter license under the Saf-C 8000 administrative rules. The Propane Gas Association of New England (PGANE, pgane.org) maintains a member directory covering all six New England states. If your quoted supplier or installer cannot produce a valid NH fuel gas fitter license number, walk away.

New Hampshire Propane Fill Costs by Tank Size (at $3.78/gal)

Propane tanks fill to 80% of stated capacity (the "80% rule") to allow for thermal expansion. Below is what each fill costs at the NH 2026 average. Real-world quotes vary 10-15% above or below the EIA average depending on supplier, contract, county, and delivery frequency. Mountain and second-home routes typically run at the upper end of that band.

Tank size	Usable gallons (80%)	Fill cost at $3.78/gal	vs national ($2.67/gal)
100 gal	80 gal	$302	+$88
250 gal	200 gal	$756	+$221
500 gal	400 gal	$1512	+$442
1000 gal	800 gal	$3024	+$885

Compare to the national refill cost guide or check pricing in other states.

New Hampshire Heating Season, Annual Use & Fuel Assistance Program

New Hampshire's residential heating season runs roughly five months, early November through late March, with peak demand in January and February. The North Country (Coos, Carroll, Grafton) typically logs 8,000+ heating degree days, while the Seacoast and Merrimack Valley run closer to 6,500-7,000. Spring (April-May) and fall (September-October) see modest space-heating demand on cold nights, while June-August is essentially water-heating, cooking, and pool/spa propane use only.

Typical NH propane-heat households consume 800-1,200 gallons per year, depending on house size, insulation, location, and how much of the load is propane versus another fuel. A 2,400 sqft Cape in Hillsborough County with propane handling space heat, water heat, range, and dryer averages 1,000-1,100 gallons. A propane-only-for-cooking-and-water-heating household with electric or oil for space heat runs 150-300 gallons annually. Ski-country second homes can range from 200 gallons (light use) to 1,500+ gallons (heavy holiday and ski-week occupancy).

Translated to dollars at the 2026 NH average: a 1,000-gallon household pays $3780 per year for fuel alone, before tank rental fees, delivery surcharges, or service contracts. That is $1106 more than a comparable household in a national-average market.

Fuel Assistance Program (FAP) for income-qualified NH households. NH's Fuel Assistance Program (FAP, the state's LIHEAP) is administered by the NH Department of Energy and delivered through your local Community Action Agency. FAP covers propane, heating oil, kerosene, wood, pellets, electric, and natural gas heat, and the benefit is paid directly to your supplier. Eligibility is set at 60% of NH State Median Income: roughly $47,604 for a household of one, $62,252 for two, $76,900 for three, $91,548 for four. Benefits run $100-$2,177 per heating season. The FY 2026 program is active. Apply through your local Community Action Agency before heating season opens. Full guidance and CAA directory at energy.nh.gov.

Summer pre-buy is the single biggest lever. Pre-buying or capping in May-August routinely saves $400-$700 per year for a 1,000-gallon NH household versus paying winter spot rates. Most NH suppliers run pre-buy enrollment between May 1 and August 31. Read the fine print: cap-price contracts let you keep savings if wholesale falls; flat pre-buy locks you in either direction. For owned-tank households on a multi-year supplier relationship, the math almost always favours pre-buy.

Practical sequence for an NH propane household: apply for FAP through your local Community Action Agency in September or October if you may qualify, sign a pre-buy or cap-price contract in June or July, and top up your tank to 80% by mid-October. That combination protects you from both winter spot-market spikes and supplier minimum-delivery surcharges, and keeps you out of the will-call queue when the first nor'easter drops. NH's Granite State 2050 climate framework and HB1610 are nudging the long-term mix toward heat pumps, but propane remains the practical primary fuel for most rural and second-home properties for the foreseeable future.

New Hampshire vs Other Northeast States (2026)

State	Price/gal	500-gal refill (400 usable)	vs national ($2.67)
Connecticut	$4.12	$1646	+54%
New Jersey	$3.82	$1528	+43%
New Hampshire (this page)	$3.78	$1512	+41%
Rhode Island	$3.76	$1503	+41%
New York	$3.75	$1499	+40%
Vermont	$3.73	$1493	+40%
Delaware	$3.73	$1492	+40%
Massachusetts	$3.65	$1460	+36%
Maine	$3.52	$1409	+32%
Pennsylvania	$3.08	$1233	+15%
National average	$2.67	$1070	0%

New Hampshire sits in the high cluster of the Northeast region at $3.78/gal, alongside Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New York, and Maryland. Pennsylvania's lower price reflects shorter rail distance to Marcellus/Utica supply. The Northeast region average is $3.69/gal, all of which sits well above the $2.67 national mark. NH's position in the Northeast pecking order tracks roughly with cold-climate severity and rural delivery costs rather than with any single retail-market dynamic.

New Hampshire Propane FAQ

Who has the cheapest propane in New Hampshire?

There is no single cheapest supplier statewide. New Hampshire's pricing varies sharply by county, contract type, tank ownership, and route density. Southern NH (Hillsborough, Rockingham, Strafford) sees more competition and tighter per-gallon spreads, while Coos, Carroll, and Sullivan county routes can run $0.30-$0.60/gal higher because of mountain delivery costs and lower customer density. In our supplier sample, smaller route-dense regional operators routinely undercut national chains by $0.20-$0.40/gal because they have lower overhead. Always pull written quotes from at least three suppliers, including one national, one in-state regional, and one local independent in your county. Lock-in or pre-buy programs in May-August routinely save $0.30-$0.60/gal versus paying winter spot rates. The current NH average is $3.78/gal, but real quotes in the same town can vary 30-50 cents either side.

Why is propane so expensive in New Hampshire?

New Hampshire sits 1,800+ miles from Gulf Coast propane production, so transport costs are baked in before any retailer markup. Propane reaches NH via pipeline to Selkirk NY, then by rail to terminals in Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts, then ground-trucked the last mile. NH also has no in-state propane refining or significant bulk storage, which forces suppliers to pay spot-market premiums during January-February cold snaps when New England regional storage runs dry. On the demand side, roughly 20% of NH households use propane as their primary heat source, one of the highest shares in the country, and demand concentrates into a brutal five-month heating season. The 2026 EIA average for NH is $3.78/gal versus $2.67/gal national and $3.69/gal Northeast regional. That is roughly 41% above national and +2% versus the Northeast region average.

Am I eligible for the New Hampshire Fuel Assistance Program (FAP)?

New Hampshire's Fuel Assistance Program (FAP) is the state's implementation of the federal LIHEAP. It is administered by the NH Department of Energy and delivered on the ground by your local Community Action Agency (CAA). FAP covers propane, heating oil, kerosene, wood, pellets, electric, and natural gas heat, and the benefit is paid directly to your supplier. Income eligibility is set at 60% of the New Hampshire State Median Income (SMI). For the current program year, that means roughly $47,604 for a household of one, $62,252 for two, $76,900 for three, and $91,548 for four. Benefits range from $100 to $2,177 per heating season depending on income, household size, and fuel costs. The FY 2026 program is active. Apply through your local Community Action Agency before heating season opens; benefits are first-come, first-served once funds are released. Households that already receive TANF, SNAP, or SSI are categorically eligible. Full guidance and the CAA directory are at energy.nh.gov.

Should I switch from cordwood or heating oil to propane in New Hampshire?

Not automatically. NH is one of the few states where cordwood is still a meaningful primary heating fuel, and heating oil remains common. The per-BTU math: propane delivers about 91,500 BTU per gallon at $3.78/gal, heating oil delivers 138,500 BTU/gal at typical NH 2026 prices of $4.10-$4.30/gal, and seasoned cordwood delivers roughly 22 million BTU per cord at $300-$450/cord delivered. On a per-million-BTU basis, cordwood is the cheapest of the three (often $15-$22/MMBTU), heating oil is in the middle ($30-$32/MMBTU), and propane runs $41-$45/MMBTU. Propane wins on cleanliness (no smoke, no soot, no chimney sweeping), appliance flexibility (range, dryer, generator, on-demand water heater), automation (no hauling logs at 2 AM), and indoor air quality. Conversion costs are real: $6,000-$12,000 for a new boiler/furnace plus tank install. Switch only if your existing oil system is at end of life, or you want propane for non-heating uses, or you are tired of moving cordwood.

Why is propane more expensive in ski country and at second homes in New Hampshire?

White Mountain ski-country and Lakes Region second homes pay a structural premium for three reasons. First, route density: a propane truck servicing Lincoln, Conway, Jackson, Bretton Woods, Wolfeboro, or Lake Winnipesaukee covers far fewer customers per mile than a Manchester or Nashua route. Second, second-home usage patterns are unpredictable: many homes sit empty Monday-Thursday and burn hard Friday-Sunday and over holidays, which means tanks drain in spurts and "fill before zero" alerts come in clusters. That forces suppliers to over-deliver and pad margins. Third, peak-week demand: Christmas week, MLK weekend, Presidents week, and ski-school weeks can drive a single ski-condo tank to drain in 4-5 days versus 3 weeks at a primary residence. Suppliers with strong second-home programs (automatic delivery with usage-prediction software, set-it-and-forget-it billing) typically charge $0.20-$0.40/gal above their year-round residential rate but reduce the no-heat-when-the-family-arrives risk. For owner-managed second homes, the cheapest option is usually owning your tank, joining a pre-buy in early summer, and topping to 80% in mid-October before the first ski weekend.

Who regulates propane dealers and LP-Gas safety in New Hampshire?

New Hampshire enforces the LP-Gas Code through the NH State Fire Marshal's Office (within the NH Department of Safety, Division of Fire Safety). The state has adopted NFPA 58 (the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code) by reference, and the State Fire Marshal supports the Mechanical Licensing Board in administering and enforcing fuel gas fitting standards under the Saf-C 8000 administrative rules. Anyone installing residential or commercial gas appliances using propane in NH must be a licensed fuel gas fitter, and license renewal requires at least 8 hours of relevant technical instruction every 24 months, including 3 hours of National Fuel Gas Code content. Tank installations typically require a town-level permit on top of state licensing. The Propane Gas Association of New England (PGANE, pgane.org) is the regional trade body covering all six New England states, including NH; its member directory is one practical way to confirm a dealer is in good standing with the regional industry. If your installer cannot produce a valid NH fuel gas fitter license number, do not let them touch your tank or appliances.

How do I switch propane suppliers in New Hampshire without losing my tank?

Most NH households rent their tank from their current supplier, which legally restricts who can fill it. To switch suppliers without buying out the tank, the new supplier typically arranges a tank swap-out: they remove the existing supplier's tank (after notifying that supplier and arranging a pump-out at the supplier's buy-back rate, often well below market) and install their own. The process takes 1-3 weeks. If you own your tank outright, any licensed NH supplier can fill it. Owning the tank is the strongest leverage in NH's market because it lets you shop on price every fill, and in mountain or low-density routes that flexibility is worth real money. A new 500-gallon above-ground tank costs roughly $1,500-$3,500 installed. Always confirm the installer's NH fuel gas fitter license before signing.

New Hampshire Propane Price 2026: Cost Per Gallon, Suppliers & Delivery

New Hampshire Propane Pricing Snapshot (2026)

Why New Hampshire Propane Prices Sit Where They Do

New Hampshire Propane Companies: How to Build Your Quote List

National chain (Tier 1)

National chain (Tier 1)

Regional family operator (Tier 2)

Regional family operator (Tier 2)

Regional family operator (Tier 2)

Local independent (Tier 3)

Local independent (Tier 3)

Local independent (Tier 3)

New Hampshire Propane Fill Costs by Tank Size (at $3.78/gal)

New Hampshire Heating Season, Annual Use & Fuel Assistance Program

New Hampshire vs Other Northeast States (2026)

New Hampshire Propane FAQ

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