The latest state survey finds gasoline prices have fallen for five consecutive weeks. Jessica Zopf of the Iowa Office of Energy Independence says prices are going down because the supply of gasoline and diesel fuels are going up.
“Drivers in Iowa can pretty much expect to see lower prices over maybe the next couple of days,” Zopf says. “However, as we’ve seen in the past few weeks the prices have gone up and down, but we’ve seen overall decreases in the past month.” On September 15th, the average price in Iowa for a gallon of unleaded gasoline with a 10-percent ethanol blend was $2.34.
That’s 35% lower than gasoline prices a year ago, as gasoline was selling for $3.62 a gallon at this time last year. “The other thing to consider with fuel prices, with gas prices, is that the supply of gasoline has been increasing because we have…just not seen the huge demand that we typically see in the summer months,” Zopf says.
Diesel fuel was selling for $2.62 a gallon this past Tuesday. A year ago, diesel hit four-bucks a gallon, so the drop is significant. Gasoline prices vary widely, with the most expensive prices today found in the Iowa City area and the cheapest found in Des Moines.
See the gas prices statewide here.
The prices for the fuels Iowans use to heat their homes and dry the state’s corn and soybean harvest are down significantly. According to the Iowa Office of Energy Independence, the average retail price for propane has fallen nearly 66% in the past year. Heating oil prices are down 65% from a year ago. Natural gas prices are down, significantly, as well, falling about 9.5% just in the last month.