Heating oil budget
The litres you burn in a year, priced at today’s maximum price, then at the year’s extremes and at the official averages of the last three years.
A house that burns 2,000 litres of heating oil a year and takes it in one delivery pays, at the maximum price of 31 October 2026, no more than €3,070 for the year, or €256 a month, at €1.535 a litre in the 2,000-litre band. Within that sum, the 21 % VAT accounts for €533. The same volume would have cost €1,414 at the lowest price of the past twelve months, on 18 December 2025, and €3,214 at the highest, on 28 October 2026: the gap of €1,800 shows how much the budget depends on the day you order. At the official 2025 average it would be €1,598. The tool repeats this calculation on your own consumption, taken from a full year of invoices, and compares it with the price you actually paid at your last delivery.
Yearly budget at the maximum price of 31 October 2026
€3,070
i.e. €256 a month, at €1.535/L
| At the lowest price over a year (18 December 2025) | €1,414 |
| At the highest price over a year (28 October 2026) | €3,214 |
| At the 2024 average price | €1,722 |
| At the 2025 average price | €1,598 |
| At the 2026 average price | €2,386 |
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
What the tool does
You enter the litres burnt over a year. The tool picks the band of the official tariff that matches that volume, under 2,000 litres or 2,000 litres and over, takes the day’s maximum price from the be.STAT series and multiplies. The result is a ceiling: what the year would cost if everything were bought today at the maximum price. It divides by twelve for a monthly budget, then repeats the calculation at the lowest and highest prices of the last 365 days and at the official yearly averages Statbel publishes in its yearly tables.
The second, optional field takes the price per litre on your last invoice, VAT included. An extra line then shows what the year would cost at that price, so you can see at a glance whether your dealer was well under the ceiling or close to it.
The budget by volume, at today’s price and at the extremes
| Litres a year | At today’s price | A month | At the year’s low | At the year’s high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 L | €1,578 | €132 | €747 | €1,650 |
| 1,500 L | €2,367 | €197 | €1,121 | €2,475 |
| 2,000 L | €3,070 | €256 | €1,414 | €3,214 |
| 2,500 L | €3,838 | €320 | €1,768 | €4,018 |
| 3,000 L | €4,605 | €384 | €2,121 | €4,821 |
The jump between 1,500 and 2,000 litres is not proportional: from 2,000 litres, the whole volume moves to the cheaper band. A yearly consumption just under the threshold is therefore better delivered in one go if the tank allows, as the 2,000-litre threshold calculation sets out.
Spreading the cost over the year
Heating oil is paid for on delivery, not monthly. The tool’s monthly figure, €256 for 2,000 litres at today’s price, is mainly a way to put aside each month the sum that will pay for the next tankful. Some dealers also offer staged payment; if so, compare the total paid with the maximum amount for the delivery on the agreed day, since the maximum price applies per litre delivered, however you settle it.
The official averages give an order of magnitude. On 2,000 litres, the 2025 average gave €1,598; the 2026 average so far gives €2,386. Planning on the higher of the two avoids surprises; the heating oil price history shows how the tariff has moved in between.
When the budget is more than you can manage
If the heating oil bill weighs too heavily, the Social Heating Fund pays, through the CPAS/OCMW (the municipal public social welfare centre), an allowance per litre to households that meet its status or income conditions. The amount depends on the price invoiced and covers only a limited number of litres a year. The heating allowance page works out what it would mean on your delivery and recalls the deadlines.
To decide when to place the next order, the guide on when to order heating oil gathers what the official series can, and cannot, say about it.