Heating Oil Prices by County: Where Kerosene Is Cheapest and Dearest in Ireland

Last updated: 6 October 2026 (Budget 2027 carbon tax cut)
The same 1,000 litres of kerosene cost €1,347 in Kilkenny and €1,385 in Limerick on the last day of August 2026 - a €38 gap on the county averages, and considerably more between the dearest and cheapest individual suppliers. This page lists the average heating oil price for all 26 counties, explains why your county pays what it pays, and shows how to buy at the lower end of your local range. For the national picture, the carbon tax and the pay-less playbook, see our main heating oil prices guide.

⚡ Quick Summary

🌿 National average, 31 August 2026: €1,365 per 1,000 L (oilprices.ie); 500 L about €686-714 depending on the comparison site. Prices move daily.
🌿 Cheapest counties: Kilkenny (€1,347), Waterford (€1,350), Kildare (€1,355), Laois (€1,356), Carlow and Wicklow (€1,357).
🌿 Dearest counties: Limerick (€1,385), Kerry (€1,380), Mayo (€1,377), Clare (€1,377), Roscommon (€1,371), Galway (€1,370).
🌿 Why: distance from the depot, how many suppliers compete for your townland, and delivery-round density. The west and south-west pay most; the south-east and Leinster pay least.
🌿 The county average is not your price: individual quotes in one county routinely span €40-60 on a 1,000 L fill. Three phone calls beat any table.
🌿 Tax inside every fill: Budget 2027 cuts carbon tax on kerosene from €63.50 to €48.50 a tonne (about 12c a litre before VAT). The rise to €71 that was due on 14 October 2026 is cancelled.

🗺️ Heating Oil Prices by County (1,000 Litres, 31 August 2026)

County averages for 1,000 litres of kerosene, compiled from supplier prices by oilprices.ie on 31 August 2026. They are a guide to the relative cost of your county; the absolute figures move with crude oil every day.

On 500-litre orders the pattern holds: Kilkenny and Waterford cheapest (about €684 on 1 September), Kerry, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath dearest (€725-738). Tankful's supplier-quote data put the 500 L national median a shade lower, around €686, with a €30 spread from Waterford to Limerick and Laois.

🔹 What a fill costs in your county

Put your county's figure - or better, a real quote - into the estimator to see the cost of your fill, how long it should last and how much of it is tax.

🚛 Why Prices Differ by County

🌿 Distance from the depot: kerosene lands at a handful of ports and terminals and is trucked out from regional depots. Every extra hour on the road is on the price. The west coast and Kerry are at the end of the longest runs.
🌿 Competition: Dublin, Cork and the Leinster counties have more suppliers fighting for the same estates, which is why the cheapest counties cluster in the south-east and the midlands corridor. A townland served by two suppliers pays more than one served by six.
🌿 Round density: a tanker that delivers to 25 houses on one road spreads its cost thinner than one doing 8 drops across a mountain. Rural one-off housing pays for that.
🌿 Order size tiers: most merchants price under 500 L dearest, 500-900 L in the middle, and 900 L+ cheapest per litre. The thresholds vary by supplier and region, so ask.
🌿 Timing: prices are usually softest from late spring to early autumn and firmest in a December cold snap, everywhere.

oilprices.ie reports seeing differences of up to €150 on the same order across the country. The county average hides most of that, which is the point of the next section.

📞 How to Buy Below Your County Average

🌿 Get three quotes, including one from the next county: depots do not respect county lines. A Kilkenny or Waterford supplier may deliver into Tipperary or Wexford at their home price.
🌿 Use two comparison sites, not one: oilprices.ie, tankful.ie, cheapestoil.ie and oilcomparator.ie sample different suppliers and their county figures differ by €20-30. The cheapest quoted supplier on one is often missing from another.
🌿 Order 1,000 L if the tank and the budget allow: the per-litre saving over 500 L is typically 3-5c, or €30-50 on the fill.
🌿 Join or form a buying group: neighbours ordering the same day from one tanker get the round-density discount for themselves.
🌿 Pay the way the supplier likes: some quote a lower price for card or cash on delivery than for account terms.
🌿 Do not run the tank dry: an emergency 300 L drop in January is the dearest oil you will ever buy, per litre and in call-out charges.

📈 What Is Moving the Price Right Now

Crude oil is the three-quarters of the bill you cannot control. Brent was about $93 a barrel at the end of August 2026, up roughly a third on a year earlier after a spring of disruption around the Strait of Hormuz that sent 500 L of kerosene to €880 in March - the CSO recorded a 67% jump in home heating oil in one month, the largest since records began in 1996. Prices fell back to about €1,150 per 1,000 L in early July and have climbed since. Sterling, refinery margins and winter demand do the rest.

The tax share is the other quarter: carbon tax at €48.50 a tonne on kerosene after the Budget 2027 cut (about €123 on a 1,000 L fill before VAT, down from €161), the NORA levy, and 13.5% VAT on the lot. The rise to €71 that was due on 14 October 2026 is cancelled, and the Government says the rate will not go up again during its term. The county prices above were taken before the cut. Our carbon tax guide tracks it.

🌱 Getting Off the County Table Altogether

Around 680,000 Irish homes heat with oil, and a long-run fix exists for most of them. The SEAI heat pump grant is up to €12,500 when replacing an oil boiler, attic and wall insulation grants cut the litres you burn whatever heats the house, and the €700 heating controls grant typically trims 10-20% off consumption with the boiler you have. HVO is a drop-in low-carbon fuel for a converted oil boiler, at a premium price.

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

🌿 Treating the county average as a quote: it is the midpoint of a €40-60 range. Aim below it.
🌿 Only checking one comparison site: each one misses suppliers the others list.
🌿 Ordering 500 L twice instead of 1,000 L once: €30-50 more for the same oil.
🌿 Buying in a cold snap: demand spikes, tankers queue, prices firm - fill in September, not December.
🌿 Ignoring the tank: a leaking or unlocked tank costs more than any county premium. Oil theft rises every winter.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

🔹 Which county has the cheapest heating oil in Ireland?

On the 31 August 2026 averages, Kilkenny (€1,347 per 1,000 L), followed by Waterford, Kildare, Laois, Carlow and Wicklow. The south-east and Leinster are consistently cheapest.

🔹 Which county is dearest?

Limerick (€1,385) on the same date, then Kerry, Mayo, Clare and Roscommon. The west and south-west carry the longest delivery runs and the fewest competing suppliers.

🔹 Why is oil dearer in Kerry than in Cork?

Distance from the depot and fewer suppliers per area. Cork city has one of the most competitive markets in the country; Kerry's one-off rural housing is expensive to serve.

🔹 How much is 500 litres of heating oil today?

About €686-714 nationally on 1 September 2026, depending on which comparison site's sample you use. Enter the litres and your quote in the estimator above.

🔹 Are these prices including VAT?

Yes - quoted consumer prices for home heating oil include 13.5% VAT, carbon tax and the NORA levy.

🔹 How often does this page update?

The table shows a dated snapshot. Use the linked comparison sites for today's figure; the ranking of counties changes far less than the price level does.

📚 Related Guides

🌿 Heat Pumps
🌿 Air-to-Water Heat Pump Cost
🌿 Air-to-Air Heat Pumps
🌿 Heating Oil Prices
🌿 HVO Fuel
🌿 Boiler Replacement Cost
🌿 Gas Boiler Service
🌿 Storage Heaters
🌿 Underfloor Heating
👉 All guides and calculators

Climate Jargon Buster is an independent resource. County prices are a snapshot from oilprices.ie on 31 August 2026 and move daily; grant amounts are correct as of September 2026, set by the SEAI, with which we are not affiliated - check seai.ie and get local quotes before ordering.