Dead River vs Eastern Propane and Oil
Northern New England regional dealers. Both quote-only. Both bonded pre-buy. ME
Side by side
Public pricing
Both quote-only
No vs No
Region
Dead River ME/NH/VT/N-NY. Eastern NH/ME/MA/VT.
ME, NH, VT, NY (north) vs NH, ME, MA, VT
Pre-buy
Dead River EasyCAP + Prepay. Eastern Price Protection + SmartPay.
Bonded both
Enrollment window
Dead River price-protection has a window. Eastern enrolls anytime.
June to October vs Year-round
The verdict
Both reliable, both regional, both quote-only. Difference reduces to: (a) Dead River's price-protection enrollment window (Jun to Oct) means you have to act before Halloween, (b) Eastern's geographic overlap with MA gives it scale economics in eastern MA + NH. Pick by who serves your ZIP with a tighter route.
FAQ
Is Dead River bigger than Eastern?
Dead River is the largest oil dealer in northern New England by route count. Eastern is a strong regional second, with stronger MA reach.
Which has stronger price-protection?
Both bond pre-buy contracts under state law. Dead River's EasyCAP and Eastern's Price Protection are functionally similar (ceiling with fee).
Cross-references
EIA SHOPP last reading: 2026-03-30NYMEX HO settled: 2026-07-13EIA next release: 2026-10-05