Vermonters Consider Alternative Heat Sources Amid Soaring Fuel Costs

The 250 gallons of heating oil that Nate Thames had delivered to his Vershire home last fall cost him $3.21 per gallon, or about $800. This August, after heating oil prices spiked to $4.73 per gallon, that same delivery ran him nearly $1,200. Relatively speaking, though, his timing was good: Prices in Vermont just soared past $6 per gallon. President Donald Trump’s ongoing war with Iran is largely to blame for sky-high fuel prices. The costs of heating oil and kerosene, the main fuel source for about 40 percent of owner-occupied Vermont homes, have risen about 80 percent since the end of 2025. The increases threaten to inflict significant financial suffering in Vermont, a state with harsh winters and some of the oldest housing stock in the nation. Thames is doing everything he can to cope, including stocking up on more firewood. But he’s worried many of his neighbors lack that option.

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