How much propane does it take to heat a house?

A 2,000 sq ft house with a new 95% propane furnace burns about 480 gallons a year for heat in a typical U.S. climate: about 96 gallons a month from November to March. That ranges from about 90 gallons in Florida to 1,240 in Alaska; the most in the lower 48 is 680 in Michigan. An older 80% furnace burns 19% more, about 570 gallons.

Heat need: EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS 2020). Propane prices: EIA, week of October 26, 2026. Checked 2026-10-30.

Enter your state, floor area and propane price for your own estimate, and compare it with a heat pump, gas or oil.

Propane for heat by house size

Typical U.S. climate: the heat the average gas-heated home in RECS 2020 needed (1,837 sq ft), scaled by floor area. Per month: the year spread evenly over November to March; January takes more. Cost at the U.S. average of $2.73 a gallon.
House size	Gallons / year (95%)	Gallons / year (80%)	Gallons / heating month	Cost / year (95%)
1,000 sq ft	240	280	48	$653
1,500 sq ft	360	430	72	$979
2,000 sq ft	480	570	96	$1,306
2,500 sq ft	600	710	120	$1,632
3,000 sq ft	720	850	143	$1,958
3,500 sq ft	840	990	167	$2,285

Space heating only. A propane water heater, range or dryer adds to the total. A drafty house or a cold winter can use 20% or more above these figures; a well-insulated one less.

How long does a 500-gallon propane tank last?

A 500-gallon tank is filled to about 80%, so it holds about 400 gallons. Heating the 2,000 sq ft house above in a typical climate burns about 3.2 gallons a day on average from November to March, so a full tank lasts about 126 days. In Michigan it is about 89 days, and in Alaska about 49. On the coldest days a furnace can burn about twice the average, so schedule deliveries by the gauge (refill at 20–30%), not the calendar.

Propane for a 2,000 sq ft house in each state

A 2,000 sq ft house with a 95% furnace. Heat need: the average gas-heated home in each state (RECS 2020), scaled from the typical floor area in its census division. Price: EIA residential propane, week of October 26, 2026; regional or U.S. average where EIA does not survey the state (*: U.S. average). –: RECS has no heating figure for the state itself.
State	Gallons / year	Gallons / heating month	Price / gallon	Cost / year
Alabama	290	59	$3.63	$1,067
Alaska	1,240	247	$2.73*	$3,378
Arizona	160	32	$2.73*	$435
Arkansas	490	99	$2.48	$1,226
California	230	46	$2.73*	$629
Colorado	520	104	$2.37	$1,236
Connecticut	510	102	$4.32	$2,201
Delaware	450	90	$3.81	$1,706
District of Columbia	320	64	$3.64	$1,160
Florida	90	19	$4.97	$466
Georgia	410	82	$3.28	$1,339
Hawaii	–	–	$2.73*	–
Idaho	510	101	$2.69	$1,359
Illinois	620	123	$1.95	$1,200
Indiana	550	110	$2.62	$1,441
Iowa	520	103	$1.75	$902
Kansas	460	93	$2.10	$972
Kentucky	440	88	$2.84	$1,253
Louisiana	230	46	$3.03	$704
Maine	520	103	$3.68	$1,896
Maryland	480	97	$3.86	$1,865
Massachusetts	510	102	$3.72	$1,900
Michigan	680	135	$2.46	$1,660
Minnesota	580	117	$2.05	$1,195
Mississippi	350	70	$3.15	$1,107
Missouri	520	103	$2.23	$1,152
Montana	600	120	$2.18	$1,306
Nebraska	470	93	$1.83	$853
Nevada	250	50	$2.73*	$679
New Hampshire	460	92	$3.90	$1,795
New Jersey	660	132	$4.10	$2,695
New Mexico	380	77	$3.03	$1,160
New York	500	100	$3.79	$1,902
North Carolina	390	79	$3.64	$1,433
North Dakota	630	126	$1.75	$1,096
Ohio	580	116	$2.70	$1,562
Oklahoma	480	95	$2.38	$1,134
Oregon	570	113	$2.73*	$1,544
Pennsylvania	620	124	$3.21	$1,992
Rhode Island	670	134	$4.12	$2,766
South Carolina	320	64	$3.70	$1,188
South Dakota	490	97	$1.95	$949
Tennessee	450	90	$3.28	$1,475
Texas	260	53	$3.18	$835
Utah	460	92	$2.47	$1,130
Vermont	490	98	$3.93	$1,935
Virginia	490	97	$3.80	$1,843
Washington	610	122	$2.73*	$1,659
West Virginia	660	132	$3.70	$2,445
Wisconsin	550	111	$2.01	$1,113
Wyoming	620	125	$2.38	$1,483

How we estimate it

RECS measures how much gas the average gas-heated home in each state burned for space heating. Times 85% for the efficiency of its furnace, that is the heat the house received. We scale it by the house's floor area ÷ the typical gas-heated home's area (RECS 2020 Table HC10.9), then divide by the heat a gallon of propane gives: 91,452 Btu (EIA) times the furnace efficiency. Heat need follows floor area only roughly: ceiling height, windows, insulation and the thermostat setting all move it.