According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Heating Oil and Propane Update (HOPU), propane prices during the first two weeks of the current winter heating season (October 1 through March 31) were 4% lower than during the same time last winter. Lower residential propane prices are the result of inventories that are near the high-end of the five-year (2015–2019) average and a decrease in crude oil prices since last year at this time.