Visit RealtorMaine<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Maine is the most oil-dependent state in the country for home heating. The state\u2019s Department of Energy Resources<\/a> reports that 52% of households use fuel oil as their primary heat source. That exposure is why a price swing in the global market lands directly in Maine kitchens.<\/p>\n The Department of Energy Resources surveys delivered-fuel retailers every week. Its early-October 2026 figure<\/a> is $5.97 per gallon statewide, and during the 2025-2026 heating season the weekly average frequently went above $5.00. Prices vary by region and by retailer. One consumer price tracker showed a county range from about $5.40 in Oxford County to $5.96 in Penobscot County<\/a> in mid-October, so a quote from your own supplier is the number that counts.<\/p>\n Two habits help when you read these numbers:<\/p>\n A fair comparison puts every fuel on the same scale. The state does this with dollars per million Btu (MMBtu), which accounts for how much of each fuel\u2019s energy actually becomes heat in your rooms. An oil furnace or boiler loses part of its fuel energy up the chimney. A heat pump does not burn anything. It moves heat from outdoor air into the house, so it can deliver more heat than the electricity it uses. On that basis, the Department of Energy Resources\u2019 analysis shows heat pumps delivering heat for less than oil<\/a>, even after counting the electricity they draw.<\/p>\n You do not need to do the math by hand. Efficiency Maine publishes a residential heating system cost calculator<\/a> where you enter your own price per gallon, your electric rate and the system type, and it shows annual cost with editable efficiency assumptions. Run it twice: once with today\u2019s oil price and once with a price a dollar higher. That second run tells you how much of your budget rides on the oil market.<\/p>\n If you want to see how a heating bill fits inside your whole monthly housing budget, a home affordability calculator<\/a> is a useful companion, especially when you are weighing a house with a newer heat pump against a cheaper one with an aging furnace.<\/p>\n Upfront cost is where oil tends to win the first conversation, and rebates are where the conversation changes. Efficiency Maine\u2019s residential rebate brochure<\/a> lists rebates of up to $3,000 for standard households, $6,000 for moderate-income households and $9,000 for low-income households on cold-climate heat pumps. In the brochure\u2019s typical example of an installation with two indoor units, those rebates can bring the out-of-pocket cost down to as low as $4,000 for low-income households.<\/p>\n The program\u2019s whole-home rebate page<\/a> breaks it down further:<\/p>\nTL;DR<\/h2>\n
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Table of Contents<\/h2>\n
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Where heating oil prices stand in Maine<\/h2>\n
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Comparing the real cost of heat<\/h2>\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/realtormaine.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792332103129_How-heat-pumps-and-oil-deliver-heat.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nWhat changes the result in your house<\/h3>\n
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Rebates: what Efficiency Maine pays<\/h2>\n
![\"Heat](\"https:\/\/realtormaine.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792332075299_Heat-pump-cooling-a-Maine-living-room.jpeg\")
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