← Back to comparisonFuel Oil #2 · Furnace/Boiler

Average moderate heat loss

Estimated cost · one heating year in Rhode Island

$3,650

Heating this 1,800 sq ft, average home in Providence with a fuel oil #2 furnace/boiler costs about $3,650 — roughly 629 gallons of fuel oil #2 over a heating year.

How that number is built

Whole-house heat demand68.0 MMBtu
÷ AFUE 0.78 efficiency87.1 MMBtu input
= fuel oil #2 used629 gallons
× price ($5.802/gallon)$3,650

Sources

Climate · Providence, 5,618 heating degree-days/yr (NOAA, 1981–2010)Fuel Oil #2 price · $5.802/gallon (EIA SHOPP residential (verified), 2026-03-30)Method & constants · METHODOLOGY.md“Heating year” = annual heating demand (degree-days, base 65°F), not a single calendar winter. Prices exclude taxes.