Kerosene vs propane vs electric heater: cost per hour in your state
Cost per hour and per 10,000 BTU for propane, kerosene and electric space heaters, at EIA's weekly propane prices for 38 states and monthly electricity prices.
Prices and heat contents from the US Energy Information Administration; heater ratings from maker pages, read by hand. Safety first: read the carbon monoxide section before using a fuel heater indoors. How we research | How links work
The short answer
Propane is the cheapest of the three at this week's US average prices: about $0.29 for 10,000 BTU of heat, against $0.54 for electric. A 9,000 BTU Mr. Heater Buddy on high costs about $0.26 an hour on home-tank propane at $2.64 a gallon (EIA, week of 12 October 2026), and a 1,500 W electric heater $0.27 an hour at 18.31 cents per kWh, for less heat (5,118 BTU). Kerosene beats electric only below about $7.24 a gallon and beats propane below about $3.89. Small propane cylinders cost more than tank propane, so enter your own price.
Your cost per hour
9,000 BTU an hour: propane $0.26, electric $0.48
Enter a kerosene price to compare it too.
Cost per hour by heater
Each heater's rated output from its maker, and the cost per hour on its highest and lowest setting at US average prices: $2.64 a gallon for home-tank propane (EIA, week of 12 October 2026) and 18.31 cents per kWh (2026-07). Electric heaters are converted at 3,412 BTU per kWh.
| Heater | Fuel | BTU per hour, high | Cost per hour, high | BTU per hour, low | Cost per hour, low | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vornado VH202 | Electric | 2,559 | $0.14 | 1,280 | $0.07 | 750 W high, 375 W low (maker) | Vornado |
| Mr. Heater Little Buddy | Propane | 3,800 | $0.11 | 1 lb cylinder, up to 95 sq ft (maker) | Mr. Heater | ||
| Dreo Whole-Room Heater 714 | Electric | 5,118 | $0.27 | 3,071 | $0.16 | 1,500 W high, 900 W low (maker) | Dreo |
| Mr. Heater Portable Buddy MH9BX | Propane | 9,000 | $0.26 | 4,000 | $0.12 | 1 lb cylinder, up to 225 sq ft (maker) | Mr. Heater |
| Mr. Heater Buddy FLEX | Propane | 11,000 | $0.32 | 8,000 | $0.23 | Maker page states 8,000 to 11,000 BTU | Mr. Heater |
| Mr. Heater Big Buddy | Propane | 18,000 | $0.52 | 4,000 | $0.12 | Two 1 lb cylinders, settings 4,000/9,000/18,000 BTU, up to 450 sq ft (maker) | Mr. Heater |
We found no kerosene heater maker page we could read on 17 October 2026 (one maker's site blocked our request), so kerosene appears as a fuel, not as models. To price a kerosene heater, take its BTU rating from the label and use the calculator.
Propane vs electric by state, per 10,000 BTU
The 38 states where EIA collects weekly residential propane prices, against each state's residential electricity price. The last column is the kerosene price per gallon below which kerosene is the cheapest of the three.
| State | Propane per gallon | Propane, per 10,000 BTU | Electricity (cents per kWh) | Electric, per 10,000 BTU | Kerosene cheapest below | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | $4.23 | $0.46 | 24.16 | $0.71 | $6.25 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Maine | $3.54 | $0.39 | 32.41 | $0.95 | $5.22 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Massachusetts | $3.50 | $0.38 | 30.49 | $0.89 | $5.17 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| New Hampshire | $3.81 | $0.42 | 26.6 | $0.78 | $5.63 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Rhode Island | $4.09 | $0.45 | 28.29 | $0.83 | $6.04 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Vermont | $3.69 | $0.40 | 23.75 | $0.70 | $5.45 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Delaware | $3.73 | $0.41 | 18.48 | $0.54 | $5.50 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Maryland | $3.86 | $0.42 | 21.41 | $0.63 | $5.70 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| New Jersey | $3.99 | $0.44 | 25.19 | $0.74 | $5.89 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| New York | $3.68 | $0.40 | 29.9 | $0.88 | $5.44 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Pennsylvania | $3.19 | $0.35 | 21.72 | $0.64 | $4.71 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Florida | $4.84 | $0.53 | 15.03 | $0.44 | $5.95 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Georgia | $3.13 | $0.34 | 16.27 | $0.48 | $4.62 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| North Carolina | $3.57 | $0.39 | 15.16 | $0.44 | $5.28 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Virginia | $3.71 | $0.41 | 17.55 | $0.51 | $5.48 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Illinois | $1.90 | $0.21 | 19.22 | $0.56 | $2.81 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Indiana | $2.49 | $0.27 | 16.73 | $0.49 | $3.68 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Iowa | $1.67 | $0.18 | 15.99 | $0.47 | $2.46 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Kansas | $2.02 | $0.22 | 15.27 | $0.45 | $2.98 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Kentucky | $2.79 | $0.31 | 13.81 | $0.40 | $4.12 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Michigan | $2.39 | $0.26 | 23.05 | $0.68 | $3.53 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Minnesota | $1.96 | $0.21 | 17.45 | $0.51 | $2.90 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Missouri | $2.13 | $0.23 | 16.09 | $0.47 | $3.14 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Nebraska | $1.72 | $0.19 | 13.78 | $0.40 | $2.54 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| North Dakota | $1.65 | $0.18 | 13.41 | $0.39 | $2.43 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Ohio | $2.62 | $0.29 | 19.45 | $0.57 | $3.86 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Oklahoma | $2.32 | $0.25 | 14.35 | $0.42 | $3.43 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| South Dakota | $1.82 | $0.20 | 15.37 | $0.45 | $2.69 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Tennessee | $3.22 | $0.35 | 13.71 | $0.40 | $4.76 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Wisconsin | $1.89 | $0.21 | 19.06 | $0.56 | $2.79 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Alabama | $3.54 | $0.39 | 16.4 | $0.48 | $5.22 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Arkansas | $2.38 | $0.26 | 14.33 | $0.42 | $3.51 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Mississippi | $3.06 | $0.34 | 14.54 | $0.43 | $4.52 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Texas | $3.10 | $0.34 | 15.88 | $0.47 | $4.58 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Colorado | $2.26 | $0.25 | 17 | $0.50 | $3.34 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Idaho | $2.63 | $0.29 | 13.73 | $0.40 | $3.87 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Montana | $2.14 | $0.23 | 14.99 | $0.44 | $3.16 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
| Utah | $2.29 | $0.25 | 13.12 | $0.38 | $3.38 | EIA propane, EIA electricity |
Carbon monoxide comes first
Unvented kerosene and propane heaters burn fuel inside the room. That is why all of their heat stays in the room, and also why they release combustion gases there. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission says kerosene heaters produce low levels of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, and its advice is:
- Install battery-operated CO alarms, or alarms with battery backup, on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas.
- Use only water-clear 1-K grade kerosene, bought from a dealer who can certify the grade, and run a kerosene heater in a room with the door open to the rest of the house.
- Never use a fuel-burning portable heater while sleeping in an enclosed space such as a tent, camper or vehicle.
An electric heater has none of these risks, which is worth something on top of the price.
Next step
Check what you really pay per gallon (a 1 lb cylinder or tank exchange costs more than delivered propane), enter it above, and buy a carbon monoxide alarm before any fuel heater.
Common questions
Is propane cheaper than electric heat?
At EIA's US average prices, yes: $0.29 for 10,000 BTU of heat from propane at $2.64 a gallon, against $0.54 from electricity at 18.31 cents per kWh. That uses the residential price for propane delivered to a home tank. Small 1 lb cylinders and exchanged 20 lb tanks usually cost more per gallon, so enter what you pay.
When is kerosene cheaper?
Kerosene holds 135,000 BTU a gallon (EIA). At US average prices it beats electric heat below about $7.24 a gallon and beats home-tank propane below about $3.89 a gallon. EIA does not publish a current retail kerosene price, so compare against what your local seller charges.
Are unvented kerosene and propane heaters safe indoors?
They burn fuel in the room, and CPSC notes that kerosene heaters give off low levels of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. CPSC advises CO alarms on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas, a room door kept open to the rest of the house for kerosene heaters, and no fuel-burning portable heater while sleeping in a tent, camper or vehicle. Mr. Heater says the models here have a low-oxygen shut-off and a tip-over shut-off.
Method
- Prices. EIA residential propane, week of 12 October 2026, and EIA residential electricity by state for 2026-07. EIA's propane figure is for propane delivered to a home tank.
- Heat content. EIA: propane 91,452 Btu per gallon, kerosene 135,000 Btu per gallon (5.670 million Btu per 42 gallon barrel), electricity 3,412 Btu per kWh.
- Cost per hour. BTU per hour divided by Btu per unit, times price per unit. We count all the fuel's heat as heat in the room, which is true for unvented heaters and for electric resistance heaters. A vented heater loses some heat up its flue, so it costs more than shown.
- Heaters. Mr. Heater ratings from Mr. Heater's product pages; electric heaters from our space heater dataset (maker pages, 17 October 2026).
- Not covered. Thermostats cycling the heater, cylinder or tank exchange prices, and kerosene retail prices, which EIA does not publish weekly.
Sources
- EIA Heating Oil and Propane Update: residential propane, dollars per gallon, week of 12 October 2026, read 2026-10-17
- EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: residential price by state, 2026-07, read 2026-10-17
- EIA Energy Explained, British thermal units: propane 91,452 Btu per gallon, electricity 3,412 Btu per kWh, read 2026-10-17
- EIA Monthly Energy Review, Appendix A, Table A1: kerosene 5.670 million Btu per barrel (135,000 Btu per gallon) (PDF), read 2026-10-17
- Mr. Heater, Dreo and Vornado product pages for each heater, linked in the table, read 2026-10-17
- CPSC Safety Alert: CPSC stresses kerosene heater safety (PDF), read 2026-10-17
- CPSC: portable heaters and camping equipment (carbon monoxide), read 2026-10-17
- CPSC: Carbon Monoxide Information Center, read 2026-10-17
- Our heating fuel cost dataset, CSV
Changes
- : Published. EIA residential propane prices for the week of 12 October 2026 (38 states), EIA electricity prices for 2026-07, and 6 heaters.