Gas figure includes a year of standing charge. Prices for oil and LPG are not capped by Ofgem and change often.
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This heating oil cost calculator works out what kerosene heating costs a year and a month, the price per kWh of fuel and per kWh of useful heat, and how many deliveries you need, for off-gas homes in the UK and Ireland. Start from the litres you buy or from the heat your home needs, then compare the same heat from mains gas, LPG and a heat pump at today's prices.
Quick answer: A heating oil cost calculator multiplies litres used by the price per litre. At the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland average of about 113p a litre on 15 October 2026, 1,500 litres a year costs about £1,699, which is 11.0p per kWh of oil or 13.0p per kWh of heat from an 85% efficient boiler.
What Is a Heating Oil Cost Calculator?
A heating oil cost calculator is a tool that turns litres of heating oil, or a yearly heat demand, into a cost per year, per month and per kWh. In plain words: yearly cost equals litres times price per litre; the price per kWh of fuel equals the price per litre divided by the energy in one litre; and the price per kWh of heat divides that again by boiler efficiency.
Domestic heating oil in the UK is usually kerosene. According to the Wikipedia article on kerosene, its higher heating value is 46.2 MJ per kg and its density about 0.80 kg per litre, which gives 36.96 MJ, or 10.27 kWh, per litre. That gross figure is the default because boiler efficiencies and gas bills in the UK are normally quoted on the same gross basis. Change it if your supplier gives a different value.
How Do You Use the Heating Oil Cost Calculator?
- Choose whether to start from litres used a year or heat needed a year in kWh.
- Enter the litres from 12 months of delivery notes, allowing for what was in the tank at the start and end, or enter the heat figure from your EPC or a heat loss estimate.
- Enter the price per litre from your latest quote, including 5% VAT. The default is the Northern Ireland average for a 900 litre order on 15 October 2026.
- Enter your boiler efficiency and your usual delivery size.
- Check the comparison prices for mains gas, LPG, electricity and the heat pump SCOP, then read the yearly cost, cost per kWh and the comparison rows.
How Much Does Heating Oil Cost Per Litre Now?
On 15 October 2026 the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland found an average of £1,019.36 for 900 litres of home heating oil, or about 113.3p per litre including 5% VAT. Its survey also gave £355.98 for 300 litres and £575.38 for 500 litres, so smaller orders cost more per litre.
The Consumer Council home heating oil price checker is published by an official consumer body and covers Northern Ireland only. Prices in Great Britain and Ireland differ by region, supplier and order size, and they are not capped by Ofgem, so always enter your own quote. The table shows how the price per litre changes the cost of each kWh in the heating oil cost calculator.
| Price per litre | Per kWh of oil (10.27 kWh/L) | Per kWh of heat at 85% | Cost of 1,500 litres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60p | 5.84p | 6.87p | £900 |
| 80p | 7.79p | 9.16p | £1,200 |
| 100p | 9.74p | 11.46p | £1,500 |
| 113.26p (NI average, 15 Oct 2026) | 11.03p | 12.97p | £1,699 |
| 120p | 11.68p | 13.75p | £1,800 |
| 140p | 13.63p | 16.04p | £2,100 |
Is Heating Oil Cheaper Than Gas?
At 113p a litre, heating oil is dearer than mains gas: oil heat costs about 13.0p per kWh from an 85% boiler against about 9.0p per kWh from an 89% gas boiler at the October 2026 cap rate of 7.97p. Oil only matches gas, including a year of gas standing charge, at about 85p a litre for the default home.
The gas figures come from the Ofgem price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026: 7.97p per kWh and 29.68p a day on direct debit. The heating oil cost calculator includes that standing charge in the gas comparison because an off-gas home would start paying it only after connecting. Connection costs are not included.
Is a Heat Pump Cheaper to Run Than an Oil Boiler?
A heat pump costs less to run than an oil boiler at current prices whenever its seasonal COP is above about 2.03: that is 26.32p per kWh of electricity divided by 12.97p per kWh of oil heat. At the example SCOP of 3 the default home pays about £1,149 a year instead of £1,699 for oil.
The Wikipedia article on electric heating gives a heat pump efficiency range of COP 1.5 to 6.0, so the input matters: use the figure from your installer's design or your heat pump's monitoring. Our heat pump running cost calculator models a switch in more detail, the electricity cost calculator prices the extra electricity at any tariff, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme guide covers grants for replacing oil.
How Does LPG Compare With Heating Oil?
LPG holds less energy per litre than kerosene, so it must be cheaper per litre to compete: propane has a higher heating value of 50.33 MJ per kg and, at 0.51 kg per litre, gives about 7.13 kWh per litre against 10.27 kWh for kerosene. At equal boiler efficiency, LPG matches oil when its price is about 69% of the oil price per litre.
We could not verify a current national LPG price from an official source, so the 60p default is an example value only. Enter the price from your LPG supplier's quote before reading the comparison row in the heating oil cost calculator.
How Long Will a Tank of Heating Oil Last?
A tank lasts its usable litres divided by daily use: 1,000 litres at 1,500 litres a year lasts about 243 days, but use is far higher in winter than summer. The deliveries row in the heating oil cost calculator shows how many orders of your usual size a year takes. To measure what is in the tank now, use our oil tank litres calculator.
A new or replacement oil tank at a home in England must meet building regulations, and gov.uk says to use an installer registered with a competent person scheme. Tanks over 2,500 litres, or near water or a drinking water source, need a bund that holds 110% of the tank's capacity. Oil boiler servicing and repairs should be carried out by a qualified oil heating engineer.
Worked Example: Detached Cottage on Kerosene
Example: a detached cottage in County Down used 1,500 litres of kerosene last year, bought in 1,000 litre orders. The oil boiler is about 85% efficient. The latest quote matches the 15 October 2026 average of 113.26p per litre.
- Yearly cost: 1,500 x 113.26p = £1,698.90, or £141.58 a month.
- Fuel price per kWh: 113.26p / 10.27 kWh = 11.03p.
- Heat price per kWh: 11.03p / 0.85 = 12.97p. Useful heat: 1,500 x 10.27 x 0.85 = 13,094 kWh.
- Same heat from mains gas at 89%: 13,094 / 0.89 x 7.97p + 29.68p x 365 = £1,280.93.
- Same heat from a heat pump at SCOP 3: 13,094 / 3 x 26.32p = £1,148.80.
- Deliveries: 1,500 / 1,000 = 1.5 orders a year.
Changing the efficiency input in the heating oil cost calculator shows what a boiler upgrade is worth: raising it from 85% to 92% in this example would cut oil use by about 7.6% for the same heat, saving about £129 a year at this price.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many kWh are in a litre of heating oil?
About 10.27 kWh gross for kerosene, from a higher heating value of 46.2 MJ per kg and a density of about 0.80 kg per litre. Forest Research lists heating oil at about 10,000 kWh per cubic metre on a net basis, which is about 10 kWh per litre.
How much heating oil does a house use a year?
It depends on size, insulation and how warm you keep it, so check 12 months of delivery notes. In heat terms, every 1,000 kWh of heat needs about 115 litres of kerosene from an 85% efficient boiler, so a home needing 13,000 kWh uses about 1,490 litres.
Does heating oil include VAT?
Yes, at the reduced rate. HMRC's VAT Notice 701/19 reduces the rate on kerosene for domestic use and on any delivery of no more than 2,300 litres. The Consumer Council for Northern Ireland states that its survey prices include 5% VAT, so compare quotes on the same basis.
Is heating oil price capped like gas?
No. The Ofgem price cap applies to mains gas and electricity tariffs. Heating oil and LPG are bought from suppliers at market prices, which can change week to week, so always enter a current quote.
What oil price would make oil as cheap as gas?
For the default home, about 85p per litre. That is where oil heat from an 85% boiler costs the same as gas heat from an 89% boiler at 7.97p per kWh, including a year of the 29.68p daily standing charge. The calculator updates this figure as you change inputs.
Can this heating oil cost calculator compare a heat pump?
Yes. Enter your heat pump's seasonal COP and electricity price. At 26.32p per kWh and SCOP 3, heat costs about 8.8p per kWh, below oil at 113p a litre. Installation cost and grants are not included in the running cost figures.
Checked October 2026 by the Solaxyra Editorial Team. Sources: Consumer Council for Northern Ireland: Home heating oil price checker (15 October 2026), Ofgem: Energy price cap 1 October to 31 December 2026, Wikipedia: Kerosene, Wikipedia: Heat of combustion, Forest Research: Typical calorific values of fuels, GOV.UK: Storing oil at your home, HMRC: VAT on fuel and power (Notice 701/19), Wikipedia: Electric heating.