U.S. data about winter heating fuels is more complete and accessible, thanks to some online enhancements from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). EIA’s Today in Energy service today announced an expanded version of its State Heating Oil and Propane Program (SHOPP) service, which is a joint effort between EIA and participating states to collect and publish weekly residential heating oil and propane price data.
In the wake of last winter’s propane supply challenges and price spikes, SHOPP’s propane information has been expanded to include 14 new states: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah. SHOPP will also publish aggregate propane prices for the U.S. Gulf Coast and Rocky Mountain region. Last year, SHOPP covered only 24 states, mostly in the Northeast and Midwest.
To make the heating fuels information more accessible, EIA has also a new web page that brings together all the state-level information on winter heating fuels. It displays weekly price data on heating oil and propane in the participating states along with natural gas and electricity prices and supply. Data will be updated every Wednesday at 1 p.m. EDT.
When the fresh data is posted later today, consumers are expected see heating oil prices that are the lowest in several years, reflecting wholesale prices that are running about 36 cents below the prices from one year ago.
