View Filing Data

$ 535,027

$ 436,834

(Increase) decrease in the fair value of derivative instruments

^[1]

31,039

(11,400)

Depreciation and amortization expenses

102,673

91,204

7,745

7,741

General and administrative expenses

7,815

6,651

Finance charge income

(851)

(763)

Amortization of debt issuance costs

6,063

31,066

Interest expense, net

(2,516)

(2,087)

(259)

(309)

Income tax expense (benefit)

3,288

28,670

973

(1,512)

2,315

30,182

175

Basic and diluted income per Limited Partner Unit :

$ 2,300

$ 30,007

^[2]

$ 0.04

$ 0.45

Weighted average number of Limited Partner units outstanding:

Basic and Diluted

52,905

55,888

Product

Sales:

Installations and services

$ 458,707

$ 366,734

Sales:

76,320

70,100

Cost of product

Cost of installations and services

Cost and expenses

306,226

242,780

Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]

Cost and expenses

$ 74,317

$ 69,555

[1]	Represents the change in value of unrealized open positions and expired options.
[2]	See Note 15 - Earnings Per Limited Partner Unit.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2017

Unrealized gain on pension plan obligation

$ 2,315

$ 30,182

Other comprehensive income:

^[1]

454

448

Tax effect of unrealized gain on pension plan obligation

(124)

(135)

Unrealized gain on investments

389

Tax effect of unrealized gain on investments

(82)

Unrealized loss on interest rate hedges

(745)

Tax effect of unrealized loss on interest rate hedges

197

Total other comprehensive income

313

Total comprehensive income

$ 2,404

$ 30,495

[1]	This item is included in the computation of net periodic pension cost.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF PARTNERS' CAPITAL - 3 months ended Dec. 31, 2018 - USD ($)
shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands

Total

General Partner

Common Stock

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Beginning Balance at Sep. 30, 2018

$ 309,785

$ (1,303)

$ 329,129

$ (18,041)

Beginning Balance, unit at Sep. 30, 2018

326

53,088

Impact from adoption of ASU No. 2014-09

9,224

$ 60

$ 9,164

Unrealized gain on pension plan obligation

2,315

2,300

454

^[1]

454

Tax effect of unrealized gain on pension plan

(124)

Unrealized gain on investments

389

Tax effect of unrealized gain on investments

(82)

Unrealized loss on interest rate hedges

(745)

Tax effect of unrealized loss on interest rate hedges

197

Distributions

(6,413)

(188)

(6,225)

Retirement of units

^[2]

(5,735)

$ (5,735)

Retirement of units, shares

^[2]

(599)

Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2018

$ 309,265

$ (1,416)

$ 328,633

$ (17,952)

Ending Balance, Unit at Dec. 31, 2018

326

52,489

[1]	This item is included in the computation of net periodic pension cost.
[2]	See Note 4 – Common Unit Repurchase and Retirement.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2017

Cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities:

Adjustment to reconcile net income to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:

$ 2,315

$ 30,182

(Increase) decrease in the fair value of derivative instruments

^[1]

31,039

(11,400)

Depreciation and amortization

8,004

8,050

Provision for losses on accounts receivable

1,529

311

Change in deferred taxes

(616)

(2,740)

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Increase in receivables

(95,743)

(96,193)

Increase in inventories

(20,187)

(11,886)

Increase in other assets

(3,235)

(12,411)

Increase in accounts payable

8,206

27,158

Decrease in customer credit balances

(14,120)

(14,294)

Increase in other current and long-term liabilities

19,917

19,987

Net cash used in operating activities

(62,891)

(63,236)

Cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities:

Capital expenditures

(4,025)

(3,604)

Proceeds from sales of fixed assets

644

Purchase of investments

^[2]

(4,456)

(34,151)

Acquisitions

(275)

(224)

Net cash used in investing activities

(8,112)

(37,891)

Cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities:

Revolving credit facility borrowings

92,500

79,149

Term loan repayments

(2,500)

Distributions

(6,413)

(6,302)

Unit repurchases

(5,735)

Customer retainage payments

(57)

(539)

Payments of debt issue costs

(34)

Net cash provided by financing activities

80,261

69,808

Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

9,258

(31,319)

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period

14,781

52,708

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period

$ 24,039

$ 21,389

[1]	Represents the change in value of unrealized open positions and expired options.
[2]	See Note 2 – Investments.

Organization

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Organization

1) Organization

Star Group, L.P. (“Star” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a full service provider specializing in the sale of home heating and air conditioning products and services to residential and commercial home heating oil and propane customers. The Company has one reportable segment for accounting purposes. We also sell diesel fuel, gasoline and home heating oil on a delivery only basis, and in certain of our marketing areas, we provide plumbing services primarily to our home heating oil and propane customer base. We believe we are the nation’s largest retail distributor of home heating oil based upon sales volume. Including our propane locations, we serve customers in the more northern and eastern states within the Northeast, Central and Southeast U.S. regions.

The Company is organized as follows:

•

Star is a limited partnership, which at December 31, 2018, had outstanding 52.5 million Common Units (NYSE: “SGU”), representing a 99.4% limited partner interest in Star, and 0.3 million general partner units, representing a 0.6% general partner interest in Star. Our general partner is Kestrel Heat, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Kestrel Heat” or the “general partner”). The Board of Directors of Kestrel Heat (the “Board”) is appointed by its sole member, Kestrel Energy Partners, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Kestrel”). Since November 1, 2017, Star Group elected to be treated as a corporation for Federal income tax purposes, so Star Group and its subsidiaries are subject to Federal and state corporate income taxes.

•

Star owns 100% of Star Acquisitions, Inc. (“SA”), a Minnesota corporation that owns 100% of Petro Holdings, Inc. (“Petro”). SA and its subsidiaries are subject to Federal and state corporate income taxes. Star’s operations are conducted through Petro and its subsidiaries. Petro is primarily a Northeast, Central and Southeast region retail distributor of home heating oil and propane that at December 31, 2018 served approximately 458,000 residential and commercial home heating oil and propane customers. Petro also sells diesel, gasoline and home heating oil to approximately 80,000 customers on a delivery only basis. We installed, maintained, and repaired heating and air conditioning equipment and to a lesser extent provided these services outside our heating oil and propane customer base including approximately 17,000 service contracts for natural gas and other heating systems. In addition, we provided home plumbing services to approximately 21,000 customers.

•

Petroleum Heat and Power Co., Inc. (“PH&P”) is a 100% owned subsidiary of Star. PH&P is the borrower and Star is the guarantor of the fourth amended and restated credit agreement’s $100 million five-year senior secured term loan and the $300 million ($450 million during the heating season of December through April of each year) revolving credit facility, both due July 2, 2023. (See Note 11—Long-Term Debt and Bank Facility Borrowings)

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

2) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Star Group, L.P. and its subsidiaries. All material intercompany items and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

The financial information included herein is unaudited; however, such information reflects all adjustments (consisting solely of normal recurring adjustments), which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for the fair statement of financial condition and results for the interim periods. Due to the seasonal nature of the Company’s business, the results of operations and cash flows for the three month period ended December 31, 2018 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.

These interim financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and should be read in conjunction with the financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2018.

Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income is comprised of Net income and Other comprehensive income. Other comprehensive income consists of the unrealized gain amortization on the Company’s pension plan obligation for its two frozen defined benefit pension plans, unrealized gain (loss) on available-for-sale investments, unrealized gain (loss) on interest rate hedge and the corresponding tax effects.

Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less, when purchased, to be cash equivalents. At December 31, 2018, the $24.0 million of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash on the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows is composed of $23.8 million of cash and cash equivalents and $0.3 million of restricted cash. At September 30, 2018, the $14.8 million of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash on the condensed consolidated statements of cash flow is composed of $14.5 million of cash and cash equivalents and $0.3 million of restricted cash. Restricted cash represents deposits held by our captive insurance company that are required by state insurance regulations to remain in the captive insurance company as cash.

Investments

At December 31, 2018, captive insurance collateral is comprised of $49.7 million of Level 1 debt securities measured at fair value and $0.6 million of mutual funds measured at net asset value. At September 30, 2018, the balance was comprised of $44.8 million of Level 1 debt securities measured at fair value and $0.6 million of mutual funds measured at net asset value. Unrealized gains and losses, net of related income taxes, are reported as accumulated other comprehensive gain (loss), except for losses from impairments which are determined to be other-than-temporary. Realized gains and losses, and declines in value judged to be other-than-temporary on available-for-sale securities are included in the determination of net income and are included in Interest expense, net, at which time the average cost basis of these securities are adjusted to fair value.

The investments are held by our captive insurance company in an irrevocable trust as collateral for certain workers’ compensation, general and automobile liability claims. The collateral is required by a third party insurance carrier that insures per claim amounts above a set deductible. Due to the expected timing of claim payments, the nature of the collateral agreement with the carrier, and our captive insurance company’s source of other operating cash, the collateral is not expected to be used to pay obligations within the next twelve months.

Weather Hedge Contract

To partially mitigate the adverse effect of warm weather on cash flows, the Company has used weather hedge contracts for a number of years. Weather hedge contracts are recorded in accordance with the intrinsic value method defined by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 815-45-15 Derivatives and Hedging, Weather Derivatives (EITF 99-2). The premium paid is included in the caption Prepaid expenses and other current assets in the accompanying balance sheets and amortized over the life of the contract, with the intrinsic value method applied at each interim period.

The Company entered into weather hedge contracts for fiscal years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Under these contracts, we are entitled to receive a payment if the total number of degree days within the hedge period is less than the prior ten year average. The “Payment Thresholds,” or strikes, are set at various levels. In addition, we will be obligated to make a payment capped at $5.0 million if degree days exceed the prior ten year average. The hedge period runs from November 1 through March 31, taken as a whole, for each respective fiscal year. For fiscal 2019, 2020 and 2021 the maximum that the Company can receive annually is $12.5 million and the maximum that the Company would be obligated to pay annually is $5.0 million. As of December 31, 2018, the Company recorded a charge of $2.0 million under this contract that increased delivery and branch expenses. As of December 31, 2017, the Company recorded a charge of $3.1 million under its contract which was later reduced. The Company ultimately paid $1.9 million in April 2018.

New England Teamsters and Trucking Industry Pension Fund (“the NETTI Fund”) Liability

As of December 31, 2018, we had $0.2 million and $17.1 million balances included in the captions Accrued expenses and other current liabilities and Other long-term liabilities, respectively, on our condensed consolidated balance sheet representing the remaining balance of the NETTI Fund withdrawal liability. Based on the borrowing rates currently available to the Company for long-term financing of a similar maturity, the fair value of the NETTI Fund withdrawal liability as of December 31, 2018 was $17.8 million. We utilized Level 2 inputs in the fair value hierarchy of valuation techniques to determine the fair value of this liability.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The FASB has also issued several updates to ASU No. 2014-09. The Company adopted the ASU effective October 1, 2018 by using the modified retrospective method and recognized the cumulative effect of initially applying ASU No. 2014-09 as an adjustment to the opening balance of Partners’ Capital at October 1, 2018. The historical periods have not been adjusted and continue to be reported under ASC No. 605, Revenue Recognition. We have applied the guidance in ASU No. 2014-09 retrospectively to all contracts and have elected not to account for significant financing components if the period between revenue recognition and when the customer pays for product, service, or equipment installation will be one year or less. See further detail on the impact of the adoption on our condensed consolidated statement of operations and the balance sheet as of and for the three months ended December 31, 2018 at Note 3 – Revenue Recognition.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flow (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. The update addresses the issues of debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs, settlement of zero-coupon debt instruments or other debt instruments with coupon interest rates that are insignificant in relation to the effective interest rate of the borrowing, contingent consideration payments made after a business combination, proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims, proceeds from the settlement of corporate owned life insurance policies, distributions received from equity method investees, beneficial interests in securitization transactions, and separately identifiable cash flows and application of the predominance principle. The Company adopted the ASU effective October 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU No. 2016-15 did not have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the definition of a business. The update clarifies the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. This new guidance is effective for our annual reporting period beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted the ASU effective October 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU No. 2017-01 did not have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases. The update requires all leases with a term greater than twelve months to be recognized on the balance sheet by calculating the discounted present value of such leases and accounting for them through a right-of-use asset and an offsetting lease liability, and the disclosure of key information pertaining to leasing arrangements. This new guidance is effective for our annual reporting period beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company does not intend to early adopt. The Company is continuing to evaluate the effect that ASU No. 2016-02 could have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, but has not yet selected a transition method. The new guidance will materially change how we account for operating leases for office space, trucks and other equipment. Upon adoption, we expect to recognize discounted right-of-use assets and offsetting lease liabilities related to our operating leases of office space, trucks and other equipment. As of December 31, 2018, the undiscounted future minimum lease payments through 2033 for such operating leases are approximately $131.3 million, but the amount of leasing activity expected between December 31, 2018, and the date of adoption, is currently unknown. For this reason we are unable to estimate the discounted right-of-use assets and lease liabilities as of the date of adoption.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses. The update broadens the information that an entity should consider in developing expected credit loss estimates, eliminates the probable initial recognition threshold, and allows for the immediate recognition of the full amount of expected credit losses. This new guidance is effective for our annual reporting period beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2021, with early adoption permitted in the first quarter of fiscal 2020. The Company is evaluating the effect that ASU No. 2016-13 will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, but has not yet determined the timing of adoption.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 230): Simplifying the test for goodwill impairment. The update simplifies how an entity is required to test goodwill for impairment. An entity should recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value, but not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. This new guidance is effective for our annual reporting period beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2021, with early adoption permitted. The Company has not determined the timing of adoption, but does not expect ASU 2017-04 to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-14, Compensation - Retirement Benefits - Defined Benefit Plans - General: Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans, which modifies the disclosure requirements for employers that sponsor defined benefit pension or other postretirement plans by removing and adding certain disclosures for these plans. The new guidance is effective for our annual reporting period beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2021, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the effect that ASU No. 2018-14 will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, but has not determined the timing of adoption.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other—Internal-Use Software: Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract, which will align the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software. The new guidance is effective for our annual reporting period beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2022, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the effect that ASU No. 2018-15 will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, but has not determined the timing of adoption.

Revenue Recognition

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Revenue From Contract With Customer [Abstract]

Revenue Recognition

3) Revenue Recognition

Effective October 1, 2018 we adopted the requirements of ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). The adoption was not material to the financial statements presented. In accordance with the new revenue standard requirements, our condensed consolidated statement of operations and the consolidated balance sheet were impacted due to the deferment of commissions provided to Company employees that were previously expensed as incurred, the deferment of certain upfront credits provided to customers upon entering into a new annual product or service contract as contra-revenue that were previously expensed as incurred and recorded as delivery and branch expense, and the allocation of transaction price of certain combination of contracts that were previously accounted for as separate contracts. The impact of adoption on our condensed consolidated statement of operations and balance sheet, as of and for the three months ended December 31, 2018 was as follows (in thousands):

	Three months ended December 31, 2018
Statement of Operations	As Reported		Balances without Adoption of ASC 606		Effect of Change Higher/(Lower)
Sales:
Product	$	458,707	$	462,153	$	(3,446	)
Installations and services		76,320		74,794		1,526
Total Sales		535,027		536,947		(1,920	)
Cost and Expenses:
Delivery and branch expenses		102,673		105,209		(2,536	)
Operating income		6,063		5,447		616
Income before income taxes		3,288		2,672		616
Income tax expense		973		791		182
Net income	$	2,315	$	1,881	$	434
General Partner's interest in net income		15		13		2
Limited Partner's interest in net income	$	2,300	$	1,868	$	432

Basic and diluted income per Limited Partner Unit	$	0.04	$	0.04	$	-

	December 31, 2018
Balance Sheet	As Reported			Balances without Adoption of ASC 606			Effect of Change Higher/(Lower)
Assets
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	$	48,657		$	41,823		$	6,834
Deferred charges and other assets, net	$	18,774		$	12,182		$	6,592
Liabilities
Deferred tax liabilities, net	$	24,367		$	20,599		$	3,768

Partners' capital
Common unitholders	$	328,633		$	319,037		$	9,596
General partner	$	(1,416	)	$	(1,478	)	$	62

The following disaggregates our revenue by major sources for the three months ended December 31, 2018:

	Three Months Ended December 31,
(in thousands)	2018		2017
Petroleum Products:
Home heating oil and propane	$	364,202	$	301,468
Other petroleum products		94,505		65,266
Total petroleum products		458,707		366,734
Installations and Services:
Equipment installations		29,983		27,344
Equipment maintenance service contracts		28,319		25,397
Billable call services		18,018		17,359
Total installations and services		76,320		70,100
Total Sales	$	535,027	$	436,834

Performance Obligations

Petroleum product revenues primarily consist of home heating oil and propane as well as diesel fuel and gasoline. Revenue from petroleum products are recognized at the time of delivery to the customer when control is passed from the Company to the customer. Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration we expect to receive in exchange for transferring control of the petroleum products. Approximately 96% of our full service residential and commercial home heating oil customers automatically receive deliveries based on prevailing weather conditions. We offer several pricing alternatives to our residential home heating oil customers, including a variable price (market based) option and a price-protected option, the latter of which either sets the maximum price or a fixed price that a customer will pay.

Equipment maintenance service contracts primarily cover heating, air conditioning, and natural gas equipment. We generally do not sell equipment maintenance service contracts to heating oil customers that do not take delivery of product from us. The service contract period of our equipment maintenance service contracts is generally one year or less. Revenues from equipment maintenance service contracts are recognized into income over the terms of the respective service contracts, on a straight-line basis. Our obligation to perform service is consistent through the duration of the contracts, and the straight-line basis of recognition is a faithful depiction of the transfer of our services. To the extent that the Company anticipates that future costs for fulfilling its contractual obligations under its equipment service contracts will exceed the amount of deferred revenue currently attributable to these contracts, the Company recognizes a loss in current period earnings equal to the amount that anticipated future costs exceed related deferred revenues.

Revenue from billable call services (repairs, maintenance and other services including plumbing) and equipment installations (heating, air conditioning, and natural gas equipment) are recognized at the time that the work is performed.

Our standard payment terms are generally 30 days. In addition, approximately 33% of our residential customers take advantage of our “smart pay” budget payment plan under which their estimated annual oil and propane deliveries and service contract billings are paid for in a series of equal monthly installments. Sales reported for product, installations and services exclude taxes assessed by various governmental authorities.

Contract Costs

We have elected to recognize incremental costs of obtaining a contract, other than new residential product and equipment maintenance service contracts, as an expense when incurred when the amortization period of the asset that we otherwise would have recognized is one year or less. We recognize an asset for incremental commission expenses paid to sales personnel in conjunction with obtaining new residential customer product and equipment maintenance service contracts. We only defer these costs when we have determined the commissions are, in fact, incremental and would not have been incurred absent the customer contract. Costs to obtain a contract are amortized and recorded ratably as Delivery and branch expenses over the period representing the transfer of goods or services to which the assets relate. Costs to obtain new residential product and equipment maintenance service contracts are amortized as expense over the estimated customer relationship period, or five years. Deferred contract costs are classified as current or non-current within Prepaid expenses and other current assets and Deferred charges and other assets, net, respectively. At December 31, 2018 the amount of deferred contract costs included in Prepaid expenses and other current assets and Deferred charges and other assets, net was $3.7 million and $6.6 million, respectively. We recognize an impairment charge to the extent the carrying amount of a deferred cost exceeds the remaining amount of consideration we expect to receive in exchange for the petroleum products and services related to the cost, less the expected costs related directly to providing those petroleum products and services that have not yet been recognized as expenses. There have been no impairment charges recognized for the three months ended December 31, 2018.

Significant Judgements – Allocation of Transaction Price to Separate Performance Obligations

Our contracts with customers often include distinct performance obligations to transfer products and perform equipment maintenance services to a customer that should be accounted for separately. Judgement is required to determine the stand-alone selling price for each distinct performance obligation. We determine the stand-alone selling price using information that may include market conditions and other observable inputs and typically have more than one stand-alone selling price for petroleum products and equipment maintenance services due to the stratification of those products and services by geography and customer characteristics.

Contract Liability Balances

The Company has contract liabilities for advanced payments received from customers for future oil deliveries (primarily amounts received from customers on “smart pay” budget payment plans in advance of oil deliveries) and obligations to service customers with equipment maintenance service contracts. Our “smart pay” budget payment plans are annual and generally begin outside of the heating season. We generally have received advanced amounts from customers on “smart pay” budget payment plans prior to the heating season, which are reduced as oil deliveries are made. For customers that are not on “smart pay” budget payment plans, we generally receive the full contract amount for equipment service contracts with customers at the outset of the contracts. Contract liabilities are recognized straight-line over the service contract period, generally one-year or less. As of December 31, 2018 and September 30, 2018 the Company had contract liabilities of $118.6 million and $113.8 million, respectively. During the three months ended December 31, 2018 the Company recognized $67.1 million of revenue that was included in the September 30, 2018 contract liability balance.

Common Unit Repurchase Plans and Retirement

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Equity [Abstract]

Common Unit Repurchase Plans and Retirement

4) Common Unit Repurchase and Retirement

In July 2012, the Board adopted a plan to repurchase certain of the Company’s Common Units that was amended in fiscal 2018 (the “Repurchase Plan”). Under the Repurchase Plan, as amended, the Board authorized the repurchase of 10.9 million Common Units, of which, 8.4 million were available for the Company to repurchase in open market transactions, and 2.5 million were available for repurchase in privately-negotiated transactions. As of the end of the first fiscal quarter of 2019, the Company repurchased approximately 6.1 million Common Units in open market transactions under the Repurchase Plan and 4.8 million total Common Units remain available for repurchase. There is no guarantee of the exact number of units that will be purchased under the program and the Company may discontinue purchases at any time. The program does not have a time limit. The Board may also approve additional purchases of units from time to time in private transactions. The Company’s repurchase activities take into account SEC safe harbor rules and guidance for issuer repurchases. All of the Common Units purchased in the repurchase program will be retired.

Under the Company’s fourth amended and restated credit agreement dated July 2, 2018, in order to repurchase Common Units we must maintain Availability (as defined in the amended and restated credit agreement) of $45 million, 15.0% of the facility size of $300 million (assuming the non-seasonal aggregate commitment is outstanding) on a historical pro forma and forward-looking basis, and a fixed charge coverage ratio of not less than 1.15 measured as of the date of repurchase. The Company was in compliance with this covenant as of December 31, 2018.

The following table shows repurchases under the Repurchase Plan.

(in thousands, except per unit amounts) Period	Total Number of Units Purchased		Average Price Paid per Unit (a)		Total Number of Units Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs		Maximum Number of Units that May Yet Be Purchased
Fiscal year 2012 to 2018 total		7,937	$	7.11		5,493		5,359

October 2018		151	$	9.70		151		5,208
November 2018		182	$	9.71		182		5,026
December 2018		266	$	9.41		266		4,760
First quarter fiscal year 2019 total		599	$	9.57		599		4,760

January 2019		516	$	9.39		516		4,244	(b)

(a)	Amount includes repurchase costs.

(b)	Of the total available for repurchase, approximately 1.7 million are available for repurchase in open market transactions and 2.5 million are available for repurchase in privately-negotiated transactions.

Investments

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Investments Debt And Equity Securities [Abstract]

Investments

5) Investments

The Company considers all of its investments to be available-for-sale. Investments at December 31, 2018 consist of the following (in thousands):

	Amortized Cost		Gross Unrealized Gain		Gross Unrealized (Loss)			Fair Value
Cash and Receivables	$	416	$	—	$	—		$	416
U.S. Government Sponsored Agencies		16,208		—		(55	)		16,153
Corporate Debt Securities		29,344		—		(701	)		28,643
Foreign Bonds and Notes		5,100		—		(59	)		5,041
Total	$	51,068	$	—	$	(815	)	$	50,253

Investments at September 30, 2018 consist of the following (in thousands):

	Amortized Cost		Gross Unrealized Gain		Gross Unrealized (Loss)			Fair Value
Cash and Receivables	$	350	$	—	$	—		$	350
U.S. Government Sponsored Agencies		10,735		—		(192	)		10,543
Corporate Debt Securities		30,427		—		(928	)		29,499
Foreign Bonds and Notes		5,111		—		(84	)		5,027
Total	$	46,623	$	—	$	(1,204	)	$	45,419

Maturities of investments were as follows at December 31, 2018 (in thousands):

	Net Carrying Amount
Due within one year	$	4,455
Due after one year through five years		28,902
Due after five years through ten years		16,896
Total	$	50,253

Derivatives and Hedging-Disclosures and Fair Value Measurements

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Derivatives and Hedging-Disclosures and Fair Value Measurements

6) Derivatives and Hedging—Disclosures and Fair Value Measurements

The Company uses derivative instruments such as futures, options and swap agreements in order to mitigate exposure to market risk associated with the purchase of home heating oil for price-protected customers, physical inventory on hand, inventory in transit, priced purchase commitments and internal fuel usage. FASB ASC 815-10-05 Derivatives and Hedging, established accounting and reporting standards requiring that derivative instruments be recorded at fair value and included in the consolidated balance sheet as assets or liabilities, along with qualitative disclosures regarding the derivative activity. The Company has elected not to designate its commodity derivative instruments as hedging derivatives, but rather as economic hedges whose change in fair value is recognized in its statement of operations in the line item (increase) decrease in the fair value of derivative instruments. Depending on the risk being economically hedged, realized gains and losses are recorded in cost of product, cost of installations and services, or delivery and branch expenses.

As of December 31, 2018, to hedge a substantial majority of the purchase price associated with heating oil gallons anticipated to be sold to its price-protected customers, the Company held the following derivative instruments that settle in future months to match anticipated sales: 14.0 million gallons of swap contracts, 7.9 million gallons of call options, 6.4 million gallons of put options, and 92.4 million net gallons of synthetic call options. To hedge the inter-month differentials for its price-protected customers, its physical inventory on hand and inventory in transit, the Company, as of December 31, 2018, had 18.3 million gallons of long future contracts, and 41.2 million gallons of short future contracts that settle in future months. To hedge its internal fuel usage and other related activities for fiscal 2019, the Company, as of December 31, 2018, had 4.3 million gallons of swap contracts and 2.0 million gallons of short swap contracts that settle in future months.

As of December 31, 2017, to hedge a substantial majority of the purchase price associated with heating oil gallons anticipated to be sold to its price-protected customers, the Company held the following derivative instruments that settle in future months to match anticipated sales: 17.9 million gallons of swap contracts, 7.3 million gallons of call options, 8.7 million gallons of put options, and 83.9 million net gallons of synthetic call options. To hedge the inter-month differentials for its price-protected customers, its physical inventory on hand and inventory in transit, the Company, as of December 31, 2017, had 27.8 million gallons of long future contracts, and 55.1 million gallons of short future contracts that settle in future months. To hedge its internal fuel usage and other related activities for fiscal 2018, the Company, as of December 31, 2017, had 2.3 million gallons of swap contracts that settle in future months.

In August 2018, the Company entered into interest rate swap agreements in order to mitigate exposure to market risk associated with variable rate interest on $50.0 million, or 50%, of our long term debt. The Company has designated its interest rate swap agreements as cash flow hedging derivatives. To the extent these derivative instruments are effective and the standard’s documentation requirements have been met, changes in fair value are recognized in other comprehensive income until the underlying hedged item is recognized in earnings. As of December 31, 2018, the fair value of the swap contracts was ($0.7) million. As of September 30, 2018, the fair value of the swap contracts was $39 thousand. We utilized Level 2 inputs in the fair value hierarchy of valuation techniques to determine the fair value of the swap contracts.

The Company’s derivative instruments are with the following counterparties: Bank of America, N.A., Bank of Montreal, Cargill, Inc., Citibank, N.A., JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., Key Bank, N.A., Regions Financial Corporation, Toronto-Dominion Bank and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. The Company assesses counterparty credit risk and considers it to be low. We maintain master netting arrangements that allow for the non-conditional offsetting of amounts receivable and payable with counterparties to help manage our risks and record derivative positions on a net basis. The Company generally does not receive cash collateral from its counterparties and does not restrict the use of cash collateral it maintains at counterparties. At December 31, 2018, the aggregate cash posted as collateral in the normal course of business at counterparties was $3.0 million and recorded in prepaid expense and other current assets. Positions with counterparties who are also parties to our credit agreement are collateralized under that facility. As of December 31, 2018, $20.2 million of hedge positions and payable amounts were secured under the credit facility.

FASB ASC 820-10 Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, established a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which classified the inputs used in measuring fair value. These tiers include: Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets; Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable; and Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions. The Company’s Level 1 derivative assets and liabilities represent the fair value of commodity contracts used in its hedging activities that are identical and traded in active markets. The Company’s Level 2 derivative assets and liabilities represent the fair value of commodity and interest rate contracts used in its hedging activities that are valued using either directly or indirectly observable inputs, whose nature, risk and class are similar. No significant transfers of assets or liabilities have been made into and out of the Level 1 or Level 2 tiers. All derivative instruments were non-trading positions and were either a Level 1 or Level 2 instrument. The Company had no Level 3 derivative instruments. The fair market value of our Level 1 and Level 2 derivative assets and liabilities are calculated by our counter-parties and are independently validated by the Company. The Company’s calculations are, for Level 1 derivative assets and liabilities, based on the published New York Mercantile Exchange (“NYMEX”) market prices for the commodity contracts open at the end of the period. For Level 2 derivative assets and liabilities the calculations performed by the Company are based on a combination of the NYMEX published market prices and other inputs, including such factors as present value, volatility and duration.

The Company had no assets or liabilities that are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis subsequent to their initial recognition. The Company’s financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis are listed on the following table.

(In thousands)					Fair Value Measurements at Reporting Date Using:
Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments					Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets		Significant Other Observable Inputs
Under FASB ASC 815-10	Balance Sheet Location	Total			Level 1		Level 2
Asset Derivatives at December 31, 2018
Commodity contracts	Fair liability value of derivative instruments	$	38,247		$	—	$	38,247
Commodity contracts	Long-term derivative assets included in the deferred charges and other assets, net and other long-term liabilities, net balance		2,193			—		2,193
Commodity contract assets at December 31, 2018		$	40,440		$	—	$	40,440
Liability Derivatives at December 31, 2018
Commodity contracts	Fair liability value of derivative instruments	$	(56,312	)	$	—	$	(56,312	)
Commodity contracts	Long-term derivative liabilities included in the deferred charges and other assets, net and other long-term liabilities, net balance		(2,445	)		—		(2,445	)
Commodity contract liabilities at December 31, 2018		$	(58,757	)	$	—	$	(58,757	)
Asset Derivatives at September 30, 2018
Commodity contracts	Fair asset value of derivative instruments	$	17,710		$	—	$	17,710
Commodity contracts	Long-term derivative assets included in the deferred charges and other assets, net balance		906			—		906
Commodity contract assets September 30, 2018		$	18,616		$	—	$	18,616
Liability Derivatives at September 30, 2018
Commodity contracts	Fair liability and fair asset value of derivative instruments	$	—		$	—	$	—
Commodity contracts	Long-term derivative liabilities included in the deferred charges and other assets, net balance		(103	)		—		(103	)
Commodity contract liabilities September 30, 2018		$	(103	)	$	—	$	(103	)

The Company’s derivative assets (liabilities) offset by counterparty and subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement are listed on the following table.

(In thousands)									Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Statement of Financial Position
Offsetting of Financial Assets (Liabilities) and Derivative Assets (Liabilities)	Gross Assets Recognized		Gross Liabilities Offset in the Statement of Financial Position			Net Assets (Liabilities) Presented in the Statement of Financial Position			Financial Instruments		Cash Collateral Received		Net Amount
Fair asset value of derivative instruments	$	—	$	—		$	—		$	—	$	—	$	—
Long-term derivative assets included in deferred charges and other assets, net		17		(14	)		3			—		—		3
Fair liability value of derivative instruments		38,247		(56,312	)		(18,065	)		—		—		(18,065	)
Long-term derivative liabilities included in other long-term liabilities, net		2,176		(2,431	)		(255	)		—		—		(255	)
Total at December 31, 2018	$	40,440	$	(58,757	)	$	(18,317	)	$	—	$	—	$	(18,317	)
Fair asset value of derivative instruments	$	17,710	$	—		$	17,710		$	—	$	—	$	17,710
Long-term derivative assets included in other long-term assets, net		906		(103	)		803			—		—		803
Fair liability value of derivative instruments		—		—			—			—		—		—
Long-term derivative liabilities included in other long-term liabilities, net		—		—			—			—		—		—
Total at September 30, 2018	$	18,616	$	(103	)	$	18,513		$	—	$	—	$	18,513

(In thousands)
The Effect of Derivative Instruments on the Statement of Operations
		Amount of (Gain) or Loss Recognized
Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments Under FASB ASC 815-10	Location of (Gain) or Loss Recognized in Income on Derivative	Three Months Ended December 31, 2018			Three Months Ended December 31, 2017
Commodity contracts	Cost of product (a)	$	(6,152	)	$	184
Commodity contracts	Cost of installations and service (a)	$	247		$	(582	)
Commodity contracts	Delivery and branch expenses (a)	$	166		$	(1,229	)
Commodity contracts	(Increase) / decrease in the fair value of derivative instruments (b)	$	31,039		$	(11,400	)

(a)	Represents realized closed positions and includes the cost of options as they expire.

(b)	Represents the change in value of unrealized open positions and expired options.

Inventories

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]

Inventories

7) Inventories

The Company’s product inventories are stated at the lower of cost and net realizable value computed on the weighted average cost method. All other inventories, representing parts and equipment are stated at the lower of cost and net realizable value using the FIFO method. The components of inventory were as follows (in thousands):

	December 31, 2018		September 30, 2018
Product	$	54,631	$	34,618
Parts and equipment		21,934		21,759
Total inventory	$	76,565	$	56,377

Property and Equipment

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]

Property and Equipment

8) Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation is computed over the estimated useful lives of the depreciable assets using the straight-line method (in thousands):

	December 31, 2018		September 30, 2018
Property and equipment	$	212,555	$	210,581
Less: accumulated depreciation		123,813		122,963
Property and equipment, net	$	88,742	$	87,618

Business Combinations

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Business Combinations

9) Business Combinations

During the first quarter of the fiscal year 2019, the Company acquired a propane dealer for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $0.5 million; $0.3 million in cash and $0.2 million in deferred liabilities. The acquired company’s operating results are included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements, and are not material to the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

Intangibles, net

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Intangibles, net

10) Intangibles, net

The gross carrying amount and accumulated amortization of intangible assets subject to amortization are as follows (in thousands):

	December 31, 2018						September 30, 2018
	Gross						Gross
	Carrying		Accum.				Carrying		Accum.
	Amount		Amortization		Net		Amount		Amortization		Net
Customer lists	$	359,073	$	284,098	$	74,975	$	358,776	$	279,990	$	78,786
Trade names and other intangibles		32,739		13,595		19,144		32,739		13,081		19,658
Total	$	391,812	$	297,693	$	94,119	$	391,515	$	293,071	$	98,444

Amortization expense for intangible assets was $4.6 million for the three months ended December 31, 2018, compared to $4.7 million for the three months ended December 31, 2017.

Long-Term Debt and Bank Facility Borrowings

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Long-Term Debt and Bank Facility Borrowings

11) Long-Term Debt and Bank Facility Borrowings

The Company’s debt is as follows (in thousands):

	December 31,				September 30,
	2018				2018
	Carrying Amount		Fair Value (a)		Carrying Amount		Fair Value (a)
Revolving Credit Facility Borrowings	$	92,500	$	92,500	$	1,500	$	1,500
Senior Secured Term Loan (b)		99,331		100,000		99,280		100,000
Total debt	$	191,831	$	192,500	$	100,780	$	101,500
Total short-term portion of debt	$	102,500	$	102,500	$	9,000	$	9,000
Total long-term portion of debt	$	89,331	$	90,000	$	91,780	$	92,500

(a)	The face amount of the Company’s variable rate long-term debt approximates fair value.

(b)	Carrying amounts are net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $0.7 million as of December 31, 2018 and September 30, 2018.

On July 2, 2018, the Company refinanced its five-year term loan and the revolving credit facility with the execution of the fourth amended and restated revolving credit facility agreement with a bank syndicate comprised of twelve participants, which enables the Company to borrow up to $300 million ($450 million during the heating season of December through April of each year) on a revolving credit facility for working capital purposes (subject to certain borrowing base limitations and coverage ratios), provides for a $100 million five-year senior secured term loan (the “Term Loan”), allows for the issuance of up to $25 million in letters of credit, and has a maturity date of July 2, 2023.

The Company can increase the revolving credit facility size by $200 million without the consent of the bank group. However, the bank group is not obligated to fund the $200 million increase. If the bank group elects not to fund the increase, the Company can add additional lenders to the group, with the consent of the Agent (as defined in the credit agreement), which shall not be unreasonably withheld. Obligations under the fourth amended and restated credit facility are guaranteed by the Company and its subsidiaries and are secured by liens on substantially all of the Company’s assets including accounts receivable, inventory, general intangibles, real property, fixtures and equipment.

All amounts outstanding under the fourth amended and restated revolving credit facility become due and payable on the facility termination date of July 2, 2023. The Term Loan is repayable in quarterly payments of $2.5 million with the first payment made on January 2, 2019, plus an annual payment equal to 25% of the annual Excess Cash Flow as defined in the agreement (an amount not to exceed $15 million annually), less certain voluntary prepayments made during the year, with final payment at maturity.

The interest rate on the fourth amended and restated revolving credit facility and the Term Loan is based on a margin over LIBOR or a base rate. At December 31, 2018, the effective interest rate on the Term Loan was approximately 5.8% and the effective interest rate on revolving credit facility borrowings was approximately 5.1%. At September 30, 2018, the effective interest rate on the term loan and revolving credit facility borrowings was approximately 5.2% and 3.8%, respectively.

The Commitment Fee on the unused portion of the revolving credit facility is 0.30% from December through April, and 0.20% from May through November.

The fourth amended and restated credit agreement requires the Company to meet certain financial covenants, including a fixed charge coverage ratio (as defined in the credit agreement) of not less than 1.1 as long as the Term Loan is outstanding or revolving credit facility availability is less than 12.5% of the facility size. In addition, as long as the Term Loan is outstanding, a senior secured leverage ratio at any time cannot be more than 3.0 as calculated during the quarters ending June or September, and at any time no more than 4.5 as calculated during the quarters ending December or March.

Certain restrictions are also imposed by the agreement, including restrictions on the Company’s ability to incur additional indebtedness, to pay distributions to unitholders, to pay certain inter-company dividends or distributions, make investments, grant liens, sell assets, make acquisitions and engage in certain other activities.

At December 31, 2018, $100.0 million of the Term Loan was outstanding, $92.5 million was outstanding under the revolving credit facility, $20.2 million hedge positions were secured under the credit agreement, and $7.1 million of letters of credit were issued and outstanding. At September 30, 2018, $100.0 million of the Term Loan was outstanding, $1.5 million was outstanding under the revolving credit facility, no hedge positions were secured under the credit agreement, and $7.1 million of letters of credit were issued and outstanding.

At December 31, 2018, availability was $180.3 million, and the Company was in compliance with the fixed charge coverage ratio and the senior secured leverage ratio. At September 30, 2018, availability was $189.0 million, and the Company was in compliance with the fixed charge coverage ratio and the senior secured leverage ratio.

Income Taxes

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

12) Income Taxes

The accompanying financial statements are reported on a fiscal year, however, the Company and its corporate subsidiaries file Federal and State income tax returns on a calendar year.

The current and deferred income tax expense (benefit) for the three months ended December 31, 2018, and 2017 are as follows:

	Three Months Ended
	December 31,
(in thousands)	2018			2017
Income before income taxes	$	3,288		$	28,670
Current tax expense		1,589			1,228

Deferred tax (benefit) expense		(616	)		8,712
Deferred tax benefit - impact of tax reform		-			(11,452	)
Total deferred tax benefit		(616	)		(2,740	)
Total tax expense (benefit)	$	973		$	(1,512	)

The effective income tax rate increased from negative 5.3% for the three months ended December 31, 2017 to 29.6% for the three months ended December 31, 2018 due primarily to a provisional $11.5 million discrete tax benefit recorded as of December 31, 2017 that was not recorded as of December 31, 2018. The discrete tax benefit resulted from the re-measurement of deferred tax liabilities as of December 31, 2017 due to the reduction of the Federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018 per the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted in December 2017. The Company’s net deferred tax liabilities will be realized at a lower statutory tax rate than when originally recorded. Excluding the impact of the discrete tax benefit, our effective income tax rate decreased from 34.7% for the three months ended December 31, 2017 to 29.6% for the three months ended December 31, 2018 primarily due to the lower enacted Federal statutory tax rate.

At December 31, 2018, we did not have unrecognized income tax benefits.

Our continuing practice is to recognize interest and penalties related to income tax matters as a component of income tax expense. We file U.S. Federal income tax returns and various state and local returns. A number of years may elapse before an uncertain tax position is audited and finally resolved. For our Federal income tax returns we have four tax years subject to examination. In our major state tax jurisdictions of New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania we have four years that are subject to examination. In the state tax jurisdiction of New Jersey we have five tax years that are subject to examination. While it is often difficult to predict the final outcome or the timing of resolution of any particular uncertain tax position, based on our assessment of many factors including past experience and interpretation of tax law, we believe that our provision for income taxes reflect the most probable outcome. This assessment relies on estimates and assumptions and may involve a series of complex judgments about future events.

Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]

Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information

13) Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information

	Three Months Ended
Cash paid during the period for:	December 31,
(in thousands)	2018		2017
Income taxes, net	$	3,811	$	437
Interest	$	2,441	$	1,806

Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

14) Commitments and Contingencies

On April 18, 2017, a civil action was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, entitled M. Norman Donnenfeld v. Petro, Inc., Civil Action Number 2:17-cv-2310-JFB-SIL, against Petro, Inc. By amended complaint filed on August 15, 2017, the Plaintiff alleges he did not receive expected contractual benefits under his protected price plan contract when oil prices fell and asserts various claims for relief including breach of contract, violation of the New York General Business Law and fraudulent inducement. The Plaintiff also seeks to have a class certified of similarly situated Petro customers who entered into protected price plan contracts and were denied the same contractual benefits. No class has yet been certified in this action. The Plaintiff seeks compensatory, punitive and other damages in unspecified amounts. On September 15, 2017, Petro filed a motion to dismiss the amended complaint as time-barred and for failure to state a cause of action. On September 12, 2018, the district court granted in part and denied in part Petro's motion to dismiss. The district court dismissed the Plaintiff's claims for breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing and fraudulent inducement, but declined to dismiss the Plaintiff's remaining claims. The district court granted the Plaintiff leave to amend to attempt to replead his fraudulent inducement claim. On October 10, 2018, the Plaintiff filed a second amended complaint. The second amended complaint attempts to replead a fraudulent inducement claim and is otherwise substantially similar or identical to the prior complaint. On November 13, 2018, Petro moved to dismiss the fraudulent inducement and unjust enrichment claims in the second amended complaint. On January 31, 2019, the court granted the motion and dismissed the fraudulent inducement and unjust enrichment claims with prejudice. The Company believes the allegations lack merit and intends to vigorously defend the action; at this time we cannot assess the potential outcome or materiality of this matter.

The Company’s operations are subject to the operating hazards and risks normally incidental to handling, storing and transporting and otherwise providing for use by consumers hazardous liquids such as home heating oil and propane. In the ordinary course of business, the Company is a defendant in various legal proceedings and litigation. The Company records a liability when it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount is reasonably estimable. We do not believe these matters, when considered individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations, financial position or liquidity.

The Company maintains insurance policies with insurers in amounts and with coverages and deductibles we believe are reasonable and prudent. However, the Company cannot assure that this insurance will be adequate to protect it from all material expenses related to current and potential future claims, legal proceedings and litigation, including the above mentioned action, as certain types of claims may be excluded from our insurance coverage. If we incur substantial liability and the damages are not covered by insurance, or are in excess of policy limits, or if we incur liability at a time when we are not able to obtain liability insurance, then our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

Earnings Per Limited Partner Unit

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Earnings Per Limited Partner Unit

15) Earnings Per Limited Partner Unit

Income per limited partner unit is computed in accordance with FASB ASC 260-10-05 Earnings Per Share, Master Limited Partnerships (EITF 03-06), by dividing the limited partners’ interest in net income by the weighted average number of limited partner units outstanding. The pro forma nature of the allocation required by this standard provides that in any accounting period where the Company’s aggregate net income exceeds its aggregate distribution for such period, the Company is required to present net income per limited partner unit as if all of the earnings for the periods were distributed, regardless of whether those earnings would actually be distributed during a particular period from an economic or practical perspective. This allocation does not impact the Company’s overall net income or other financial results. However, for periods in which the Company’s aggregate net income exceeds its aggregate distributions for such period, it will have the impact of reducing the earnings per limited partner unit, as the calculation according to this standard result in a theoretical increased allocation of undistributed earnings to the general partner. In accounting periods where aggregate net income does not exceed aggregate distributions for such period, this standard does not have any impact on the Company’s net income per limited partner unit calculation. A separate and independent calculation for each quarter and year-to-date period is performed, in which the Company’s contractual participation rights are taken into account.

The following presents the net income allocation and per unit data using this method for the periods presented:

	Three Months Ended
Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Limited Partner:	December 31,
(in thousands, except per unit data)	2018		2017
Net income	$	2,315	$	30,182
Less General Partner’s interest in net income		15		175
Net income available to limited partners		2,300		30,007
Less dilutive impact of theoretical distribution of earnings under FASB ASC 260-10-45-60		-		4,740
Limited Partner’s interest in net income under FASB ASC 260-10-45-60	$	2,300	$	25,267
Per unit data:
Basic and diluted net income available to limited partners	$	0.04	$	0.53
Less dilutive impact of theoretical distribution of earnings under FASB ASC 260-10-45-60		-		0.08
Limited Partner’s interest in net income under FASB ASC 260-10-45-60	$	0.04	$	0.45
Weighted average number of Limited Partner units outstanding		52,905		55,888

Subsequent Events

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Subsequent Events [Abstract]

Subsequent Events

16) Subsequent Events

Quarterly Distribution Declared

In January 2019, we declared a quarterly distribution of $0.1175 per unit, or $0.47 per unit on an annualized basis, on all Common Units with respect to the first quarter of fiscal 2019, payable on February 5, 2019, to holders of record on January 28, 2019. The amount of distributions in excess of the minimum quarterly distribution of $0.0675 are distributed in accordance with our Partnership Agreement, subject to the management incentive compensation plan. As a result, $6.1 million will be paid to the Common Unit holders, $0.2 million to the General Partner unit holders (including $0.16 million of incentive distribution as provided in our Partnership Agreement) and $0.2 million to management pursuant to the management incentive compensation plan which provides for certain members of management to receive incentive distributions that would otherwise be payable to the General Partner.

Common Units Repurchased and Retired

In accordance with the Repurchase Plan, during January 2019 the Company repurchased and retired 0.5 million Common Units at an average price paid of $9.39 per unit.

Acquisition

In January 2019, the Company acquired the assets of one of its subcontractors in the New York metropolitan area for approximately $13.2 million. The Company has a long standing relationship with the subcontractor. In addition to installing tanks, the acquired entity also performs petroleum remediation services. Star accounts for the majority of the acquired entity’s sales.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	Dec. 31, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Star Group, L.P. and its subsidiaries. All material intercompany items and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The financial information included herein is unaudited; however, such information reflects all adjustments (consisting solely of normal recurring adjustments), which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for the fair statement of financial condition and results for the interim periods. Due to the seasonal nature of the Company’s business, the results of operations and cash flows for the three month period ended December 31, 2018 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. These interim financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and should be read in conjunction with the financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2018.
Comprehensive Income	Comprehensive Income Comprehensive income is comprised of Net income and Other comprehensive income. Other comprehensive income consists of the unrealized gain amortization on the Company’s pension plan obligation for its two frozen defined benefit pension plans, unrealized gain (loss) on available-for-sale investments, unrealized gain (loss) on interest rate hedge and the corresponding tax effects.
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash	Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less, when purchased, to be cash equivalents. At December 31, 2018, the $24.0 million of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash on the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows is composed of $23.8 million of cash and cash equivalents and $0.3 million of restricted cash. At September 30, 2018, the $14.8 million of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash on the condensed consolidated statements of cash flow is composed of $14.5 million of cash and cash equivalents and $0.3 million of restricted cash. Restricted cash represents deposits held by our captive insurance company that are required by state insurance regulations to remain in the captive insurance company as cash.
Investments	Investments At December 31, 2018, captive insurance collateral is comprised of $49.7 million of Level 1 debt securities measured at fair value and $0.6 million of mutual funds measured at net asset value. At September 30, 2018, the balance was comprised of $44.8 million of Level 1 debt securities measured at fair value and $0.6 million of mutual funds measured at net asset value. Unrealized gains and losses, net of related income taxes, are reported as accumulated other comprehensive gain (loss), except for losses from impairments which are determined to be other-than-temporary. Realized gains and losses, and declines in value judged to be other-than-temporary on available-for-sale securities are included in the determination of net income and are included in Interest expense, net, at which time the average cost basis of these securities are adjusted to fair value. The investments are held by our captive insurance company in an irrevocable trust as collateral for certain workers’ compensation, general and automobile liability claims. The collateral is required by a third party insurance carrier that insures per claim amounts above a set deductible. Due to the expected timing of claim payments, the nature of the collateral agreement with the carrier, and our captive insurance company’s source of other operating cash, the collateral is not expected to be used to pay obligations within the next twelve months.
Weather Hedge Contract	Weather Hedge Contract To partially mitigate the adverse effect of warm weather on cash flows, the Company has used weather hedge contracts for a number of years. Weather hedge contracts are recorded in accordance with the intrinsic value method defined by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 815-45-15 Derivatives and Hedging, Weather Derivatives (EITF 99-2). The premium paid is included in the caption Prepaid expenses and other current assets in the accompanying balance sheets and amortized over the life of the contract, with the intrinsic value method applied at each interim period. The Company entered into weather hedge contracts for fiscal years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Under these contracts, we are entitled to receive a payment if the total number of degree days within the hedge period is less than the prior ten year average. The “Payment Thresholds,” or strikes, are set at various levels. In addition, we will be obligated to make a payment capped at $5.0 million if degree days exceed the prior ten year average. The hedge period runs from November 1 through March 31, taken as a whole, for each respective fiscal year. For fiscal 2019, 2020 and 2021 the maximum that the Company can receive annually is $12.5 million and the maximum that the Company would be obligated to pay annually is $5.0 million. As of December 31, 2018, the Company recorded a charge of $2.0 million under this contract that increased delivery and branch expenses. As of December 31, 2017, the Company recorded a charge of $3.1 million under its contract which was later reduced. The Company ultimately paid $1.9 million in April 2018.
New England Teamsters and Trucking Industry Pension Fund ("the NETTI Fund") Liability	New England Teamsters and Trucking Industry Pension Fund (“the NETTI Fund”) Liability As of December 31, 2018, we had $0.2 million and $17.1 million balances included in the captions Accrued expenses and other current liabilities and Other long-term liabilities, respectively, on our condensed consolidated balance sheet representing the remaining balance of the NETTI Fund withdrawal liability. Based on the borrowing rates currently available to the Company for long-term financing of a similar maturity, the fair value of the NETTI Fund withdrawal liability as of December 31, 2018 was $17.8 million. We utilized Level 2 inputs in the fair value hierarchy of valuation techniques to determine the fair value of this liability.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements	Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The FASB has also issued several updates to ASU No. 2014-09. The Company adopted the ASU effective October 1, 2018 by using the modified retrospective method and recognized the cumulative effect of initially applying ASU No. 2014-09 as an adjustment to the opening balance of Partners’ Capital at October 1, 2018. The historical periods have not been adjusted and continue to be reported under ASC No. 605, Revenue Recognition. We have applied the guidance in ASU No. 2014-09 retrospectively to all contracts and have elected not to account for significant financing components if the period between revenue recognition and when the customer pays for product, service, or equipment installation will be one year or less. See further detail on the impact of the adoption on our condensed consolidated statement of operations and the balance sheet as of and for the three months ended December 31, 2018 at Note 3 – Revenue Recognition. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flow (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. The update addresses the issues of debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs, settlement of zero-coupon debt instruments or other debt instruments with coupon interest rates that are insignificant in relation to the effective interest rate of the borrowing, contingent consideration payments made after a business combination, proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims, proceeds from the settlement of corporate owned life insurance policies, distributions received from equity method investees, beneficial interests in securitization transactions, and separately identifiable cash flows and application of the predominance principle. The Company adopted the ASU effective October 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU No. 2016-15 did not have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the definition of a business. The update clarifies the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. This new guidance is effective for our annual reporting period beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted the ASU effective October 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU No. 2017-01 did not have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements	Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases. The update requires all leases with a term greater than twelve months to be recognized on the balance sheet by calculating the discounted present value of such leases and accounting for them through a right-of-use asset and an offsetting lease liability, and the disclosure of key information pertaining to leasing arrangements. This new guidance is effective for our annual reporting period beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company does not intend to early adopt. The Company is continuing to evaluate the effect that ASU No. 2016-02 could have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, but has not yet selected a transition method. The new guidance will materially change how we account for operating leases for office space, trucks and other equipment. Upon adoption, we expect to recognize discounted right-of-use assets and offsetting lease liabilities related to our operating leases of office space, trucks and other equipment. As of December 31, 2018, the undiscounted future minimum lease payments through 2033 for such operating leases are approximately $131.3 million, but the amount of leasing activity expected between December 31, 2018, and the date of adoption, is currently unknown. For this reason we are unable to estimate the discounted right-of-use assets and lease liabilities as of the date of adoption. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses. The update broadens the information that an entity should consider in developing expected credit loss estimates, eliminates the probable initial recognition threshold, and allows for the immediate recognition of the full amount of expected credit losses. This new guidance is effective for our annual reporting period beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2021, with early adoption permitted in the first quarter of fiscal 2020. The Company is evaluating the effect that ASU No. 2016-13 will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, but has not yet determined the timing of adoption. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 230): Simplifying the test for goodwill impairment. The update simplifies how an entity is required to test goodwill for impairment. An entity should recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value, but not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. This new guidance is effective for our annual reporting period beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2021, with early adoption permitted. The Company has not determined the timing of adoption, but does not expect ASU 2017-04 to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-14, Compensation - Retirement Benefits - Defined Benefit Plans - General: Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans, which modifies the disclosure requirements for employers that sponsor defined benefit pension or other postretirement plans by removing and adding certain disclosures for these plans. The new guidance is effective for our annual reporting period beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2021, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the effect that ASU No. 2018-14 will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, but has not determined the timing of adoption. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other—Internal-Use Software: Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract, which will align the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software. The new guidance is effective for our annual reporting period beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2022, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the effect that ASU No. 2018-15 will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, but has not determined the timing of adoption.

- Definition

Disclosure of accounting policy for investments in financial assets, including marketable securities (debt and equity securities with readily determinable fair values), investments accounted for under the equity method and cost method, securities borrowed and loaned, and repurchase and resale agreements. For marketable securities, the disclosure may include the entity's accounting treatment for transfers between investment categories and how the fair values for such securities are determined. Also, for all investments, an entity may describe its policy for assessing, recognizing and measuring impairment of the investment.

+ References + Details

- Definition

Disclosure of accounting policy for pension and other postretirement benefit plans. This accounting policy may address (1) the types of plans sponsored by the entity, and the benefits provided by each plan (2) groups that participate in (or are covered by) each plan (3) how plan assets, liabilities and expenses are measured, including the use of any actuaries and (4) significant assumptions used by the entity to value plan assets and liabilities and how such assumptions are derived.

+ References + Details

Revenue Recognition (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Summary of Disaggregation of Revenue by Major Sources

The following disaggregates our revenue by major sources for the three months ended December 31, 2018:

	Three Months Ended December 31,
(in thousands)	2018		2017
Petroleum Products:
Home heating oil and propane	$	364,202	$	301,468
Other petroleum products		94,505		65,266
Total petroleum products		458,707		366,734
Installations and Services:
Equipment installations		29,983		27,344
Equipment maintenance service contracts		28,319		25,397
Billable call services		18,018		17,359
Total installations and services		76,320		70,100
Total Sales	$	535,027	$	436,834

ASU 2014-09

Summary of Impact of Adoption on Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations and Balance Sheet

	Three months ended December 31, 2018
Statement of Operations	As Reported		Balances without Adoption of ASC 606		Effect of Change Higher/(Lower)
Sales:
Product	$	458,707	$	462,153	$	(3,446	)
Installations and services		76,320		74,794		1,526
Total Sales		535,027		536,947		(1,920	)
Cost and Expenses:
Delivery and branch expenses		102,673		105,209		(2,536	)
Operating income		6,063		5,447		616
Income before income taxes		3,288		2,672		616
Income tax expense		973		791		182
Net income	$	2,315	$	1,881	$	434
General Partner's interest in net income		15		13		2
Limited Partner's interest in net income	$	2,300	$	1,868	$	432

Basic and diluted income per Limited Partner Unit	$	0.04	$	0.04	$	-

	December 31, 2018
Balance Sheet	As Reported			Balances without Adoption of ASC 606			Effect of Change Higher/(Lower)
Assets
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	$	48,657		$	41,823		$	6,834
Deferred charges and other assets, net	$	18,774		$	12,182		$	6,592
Liabilities
Deferred tax liabilities, net	$	24,367		$	20,599		$	3,768

Partners' capital
Common unitholders	$	328,633		$	319,037		$	9,596
General partner	$	(1,416	)	$	(1,478	)	$	62

Common Unit Repurchase Plans and Retirement (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Equity [Abstract]

Company's Repurchase Activities

The following table shows repurchases under the Repurchase Plan.

(in thousands, except per unit amounts) Period	Total Number of Units Purchased		Average Price Paid per Unit (a)		Total Number of Units Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs		Maximum Number of Units that May Yet Be Purchased
Fiscal year 2012 to 2018 total		7,937	$	7.11		5,493		5,359

October 2018		151	$	9.70		151		5,208
November 2018		182	$	9.71		182		5,026
December 2018		266	$	9.41		266		4,760
First quarter fiscal year 2019 total		599	$	9.57		599		4,760

January 2019		516	$	9.39		516		4,244	(b)

(a)	Amount includes repurchase costs.

(b)	Of the total available for repurchase, approximately 1.7 million are available for repurchase in open market transactions and 2.5 million are available for repurchase in privately-negotiated transactions.

Investments (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Investments Debt And Equity Securities [Abstract]

Schedule of Investments to be Available-for-sale

The Company considers all of its investments to be available-for-sale. Investments at December 31, 2018 consist of the following (in thousands):

	Amortized Cost		Gross Unrealized Gain		Gross Unrealized (Loss)			Fair Value
Cash and Receivables	$	416	$	—	$	—		$	416
U.S. Government Sponsored Agencies		16,208		—		(55	)		16,153
Corporate Debt Securities		29,344		—		(701	)		28,643
Foreign Bonds and Notes		5,100		—		(59	)		5,041
Total	$	51,068	$	—	$	(815	)	$	50,253

Investments at September 30, 2018 consist of the following (in thousands):

	Amortized Cost		Gross Unrealized Gain		Gross Unrealized (Loss)			Fair Value
Cash and Receivables	$	350	$	—	$	—		$	350
U.S. Government Sponsored Agencies		10,735		—		(192	)		10,543
Corporate Debt Securities		30,427		—		(928	)		29,499
Foreign Bonds and Notes		5,111		—		(84	)		5,027
Total	$	46,623	$	—	$	(1,204	)	$	45,419

Schedule of Maturities of Investments

Maturities of investments were as follows at December 31, 2018 (in thousands):

	Net Carrying Amount
Due within one year	$	4,455
Due after one year through five years		28,902
Due after five years through ten years		16,896
Total	$	50,253

Derivatives and Hedging-Disclosures and Fair Value Measurements (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Company's Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on Recurring Basis

The Company’s financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis are listed on the following table.

(In thousands)					Fair Value Measurements at Reporting Date Using:
Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments					Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets		Significant Other Observable Inputs
Under FASB ASC 815-10	Balance Sheet Location	Total			Level 1		Level 2
Asset Derivatives at December 31, 2018
Commodity contracts	Fair liability value of derivative instruments	$	38,247		$	—	$	38,247
Commodity contracts	Long-term derivative assets included in the deferred charges and other assets, net and other long-term liabilities, net balance		2,193			—		2,193
Commodity contract assets at December 31, 2018		$	40,440		$	—	$	40,440
Liability Derivatives at December 31, 2018
Commodity contracts	Fair liability value of derivative instruments	$	(56,312	)	$	—	$	(56,312	)
Commodity contracts	Long-term derivative liabilities included in the deferred charges and other assets, net and other long-term liabilities, net balance		(2,445	)		—		(2,445	)
Commodity contract liabilities at December 31, 2018		$	(58,757	)	$	—	$	(58,757	)
Asset Derivatives at September 30, 2018
Commodity contracts	Fair asset value of derivative instruments	$	17,710		$	—	$	17,710
Commodity contracts	Long-term derivative assets included in the deferred charges and other assets, net balance		906			—		906
Commodity contract assets September 30, 2018		$	18,616		$	—	$	18,616
Liability Derivatives at September 30, 2018
Commodity contracts	Fair liability and fair asset value of derivative instruments	$	—		$	—	$	—
Commodity contracts	Long-term derivative liabilities included in the deferred charges and other assets, net balance		(103	)		—		(103	)
Commodity contract liabilities September 30, 2018		$	(103	)	$	—	$	(103	)

Company's Derivatives Assets (Liabilities) Offset by Counterparty

The Company’s derivative assets (liabilities) offset by counterparty and subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement are listed on the following table.

(In thousands)									Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Statement of Financial Position
Offsetting of Financial Assets (Liabilities) and Derivative Assets (Liabilities)	Gross Assets Recognized		Gross Liabilities Offset in the Statement of Financial Position			Net Assets (Liabilities) Presented in the Statement of Financial Position			Financial Instruments		Cash Collateral Received		Net Amount
Fair asset value of derivative instruments	$	—	$	—		$	—		$	—	$	—	$	—
Long-term derivative assets included in deferred charges and other assets, net		17		(14	)		3			—		—		3
Fair liability value of derivative instruments		38,247		(56,312	)		(18,065	)		—		—		(18,065	)
Long-term derivative liabilities included in other long-term liabilities, net		2,176		(2,431	)		(255	)		—		—		(255	)
Total at December 31, 2018	$	40,440	$	(58,757	)	$	(18,317	)	$	—	$	—	$	(18,317	)
Fair asset value of derivative instruments	$	17,710	$	—		$	17,710		$	—	$	—	$	17,710
Long-term derivative assets included in other long-term assets, net		906		(103	)		803			—		—		803
Fair liability value of derivative instruments		—		—			—			—		—		—
Long-term derivative liabilities included in other long-term liabilities, net		—		—			—			—		—		—
Total at September 30, 2018	$	18,616	$	(103	)	$	18,513		$	—	$	—	$	18,513

Company's Derivatives Assets (Liabilities) Offset by Counterparty

The Company’s derivative assets (liabilities) offset by counterparty and subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement are listed on the following table.

(In thousands)									Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Statement of Financial Position
Offsetting of Financial Assets (Liabilities) and Derivative Assets (Liabilities)	Gross Assets Recognized		Gross Liabilities Offset in the Statement of Financial Position			Net Assets (Liabilities) Presented in the Statement of Financial Position			Financial Instruments		Cash Collateral Received		Net Amount
Fair asset value of derivative instruments	$	—	$	—		$	—		$	—	$	—	$	—
Long-term derivative assets included in deferred charges and other assets, net		17		(14	)		3			—		—		3
Fair liability value of derivative instruments		38,247		(56,312	)		(18,065	)		—		—		(18,065	)
Long-term derivative liabilities included in other long-term liabilities, net		2,176		(2,431	)		(255	)		—		—		(255	)
Total at December 31, 2018	$	40,440	$	(58,757	)	$	(18,317	)	$	—	$	—	$	(18,317	)
Fair asset value of derivative instruments	$	17,710	$	—		$	17,710		$	—	$	—	$	17,710
Long-term derivative assets included in other long-term assets, net		906		(103	)		803			—		—		803
Fair liability value of derivative instruments		—		—			—			—		—		—
Long-term derivative liabilities included in other long-term liabilities, net		—		—			—			—		—		—
Total at September 30, 2018	$	18,616	$	(103	)	$	18,513		$	—	$	—	$	18,513

Company's Effect on Derivative Instruments on the Statement of Operations

(In thousands)
The Effect of Derivative Instruments on the Statement of Operations
		Amount of (Gain) or Loss Recognized
Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments Under FASB ASC 815-10	Location of (Gain) or Loss Recognized in Income on Derivative	Three Months Ended December 31, 2018			Three Months Ended December 31, 2017
Commodity contracts	Cost of product (a)	$	(6,152	)	$	184
Commodity contracts	Cost of installations and service (a)	$	247		$	(582	)
Commodity contracts	Delivery and branch expenses (a)	$	166		$	(1,229	)
Commodity contracts	(Increase) / decrease in the fair value of derivative instruments (b)	$	31,039		$	(11,400	)

(a)	Represents realized closed positions and includes the cost of options as they expire.

(b)	Represents the change in value of unrealized open positions and expired options.

Inventories (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]

Components of Inventory

The components of inventory were as follows (in thousands):

	December 31, 2018		September 30, 2018
Product	$	54,631	$	34,618
Parts and equipment		21,934		21,759
Total inventory	$	76,565	$	56,377

Property and Equipment (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation is computed over the estimated useful lives of the depreciable assets using the straight-line method (in thousands):

	December 31, 2018		September 30, 2018
Property and equipment	$	212,555	$	210,581
Less: accumulated depreciation		123,813		122,963
Property and equipment, net	$	88,742	$	87,618

Intangibles, net (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Intangible Assets Subject to Amortization

The gross carrying amount and accumulated amortization of intangible assets subject to amortization are as follows (in thousands):

	December 31, 2018						September 30, 2018
	Gross						Gross
	Carrying		Accum.				Carrying		Accum.
	Amount		Amortization		Net		Amount		Amortization		Net
Customer lists	$	359,073	$	284,098	$	74,975	$	358,776	$	279,990	$	78,786
Trade names and other intangibles		32,739		13,595		19,144		32,739		13,081		19,658
Total	$	391,812	$	297,693	$	94,119	$	391,515	$	293,071	$	98,444

Long-Term Debt and Bank Facility Borrowings (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Company's Debt

The Company’s debt is as follows (in thousands):

	December 31,				September 30,
	2018				2018
	Carrying Amount		Fair Value (a)		Carrying Amount		Fair Value (a)
Revolving Credit Facility Borrowings	$	92,500	$	92,500	$	1,500	$	1,500
Senior Secured Term Loan (b)		99,331		100,000		99,280		100,000
Total debt	$	191,831	$	192,500	$	100,780	$	101,500
Total short-term portion of debt	$	102,500	$	102,500	$	9,000	$	9,000
Total long-term portion of debt	$	89,331	$	90,000	$	91,780	$	92,500

(a)	The face amount of the Company’s variable rate long-term debt approximates fair value.

(b)	Carrying amounts are net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $0.7 million as of December 31, 2018 and September 30, 2018.

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of long-debt instruments or arrangements, including identification, terms, features, collateral requirements and other information necessary to a fair presentation. These are debt arrangements that originally required repayment more than twelve months after issuance or greater than the normal operating cycle of the entity, if longer.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
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Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 835
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-Section 45
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-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=114775744&loc=d3e28541-108399

Reference 3: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
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Reference 4: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(e),(f))
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Reference 5: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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Reference 6: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
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Reference 7: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
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Reference 8: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
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-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=75038535&loc=d3e64711-112823

Reference 9: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 835
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-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=114775985&loc=d3e28878-108400

Reference 10: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
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-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=109259400&loc=d3e21475-112644

+ Details

Income Taxes (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Current and Deferred Income Tax Expense (Benefit)

The current and deferred income tax expense (benefit) for the three months ended December 31, 2018, and 2017 are as follows:

	Three Months Ended
	December 31,
(in thousands)	2018			2017
Income before income taxes	$	3,288		$	28,670
Current tax expense		1,589			1,228

Deferred tax (benefit) expense		(616	)		8,712
Deferred tax benefit - impact of tax reform		-			(11,452	)
Total deferred tax benefit		(616	)		(2,740	)
Total tax expense (benefit)	$	973		$	(1,512	)

Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]

Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information

	Three Months Ended
Cash paid during the period for:	December 31,
(in thousands)	2018		2017
Income taxes, net	$	3,811	$	437
Interest	$	2,441	$	1,806

Earnings Per Limited Partner Unit (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Net Income Allocation and Per Unit Data

The following presents the net income allocation and per unit data using this method for the periods presented:

	Three Months Ended
Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Limited Partner:	December 31,
(in thousands, except per unit data)	2018		2017
Net income	$	2,315	$	30,182
Less General Partner’s interest in net income		15		175
Net income available to limited partners		2,300		30,007
Less dilutive impact of theoretical distribution of earnings under FASB ASC 260-10-45-60		-		4,740
Limited Partner’s interest in net income under FASB ASC 260-10-45-60	$	2,300	$	25,267
Per unit data:
Basic and diluted net income available to limited partners	$	0.04	$	0.53
Less dilutive impact of theoretical distribution of earnings under FASB ASC 260-10-45-60		-		0.08
Limited Partner’s interest in net income under FASB ASC 260-10-45-60	$	0.04	$	0.45
Weighted average number of Limited Partner units outstanding		52,905		55,888

Organization - Additional Information (Detail) shares in Thousands			3 Months Ended
	Jul. 02, 2018 USD ($)	Jul. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 Segment Customer Contract shares	Sep. 30, 2018 shares
Limited Partners' Capital Account [Line Items]
Number of reportable segments \| Segment			1
Percentage of general partner interest			0.60%
Fourth Amendment
Limited Partners' Capital Account [Line Items]
Non Seasonal maximum borrowing capacity under revolving credit facility \| $	$ 300,000,000	$ 300,000,000
Maximum borrowing capacity (heating season December to April) under revolving credit facility \| $	450,000,000	$ 450,000,000
Due date of debt		Jul. 02, 2023
Fourth Amendment \| Term Loan
Limited Partners' Capital Account [Line Items]
Outstanding senior notes \| $	$ 100,000,000	$ 100,000,000
Senior secured term loan maturity period	5 years	5 years
Petro Holdings, Inc
Limited Partners' Capital Account [Line Items]
Ownership interest of Star Acquisitions Inc.			100.00%
Number of residential and commercial home heating oil and propane customers served \| Customer			458,000
Number of customers to whom only home heating oil, gasoline and diesel were sells on a delivery only basis \| Customer			80,000
Number of service contracts heating oil and propane for natural gas and other heating systems \| Contract			17,000
Number of customers to whom ancillary services were provided \| Customer			21,000
Star Group L.P.
Limited Partners' Capital Account [Line Items]
Percentage of limited partner interest			99.40%
Star Acquisitions, Inc
Limited Partners' Capital Account [Line Items]
Ownership interest of partnership			100.00%
Petroleum Heat and Power Co., Inc.
Limited Partners' Capital Account [Line Items]
Ownership interest of partnership			100.00%
Common Stock
Limited Partners' Capital Account [Line Items]
Number of outstanding units \| shares			52,489	53,088
General Partner
Limited Partners' Capital Account [Line Items]
Number of outstanding units \| shares			326	326

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)

1 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Apr. 30, 2018

Dec. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2017

Sep. 30, 2021

Sep. 30, 2020

Sep. 30, 2019

Sep. 30, 2018

Sep. 30, 2017

Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

$ 24,039,000

$ 21,389,000

$ 14,781,000

$ 52,708,000

Cash and cash equivalents

23,789,000

14,531,000

Restricted cash

250,000

Captive insurance collateral, debt securities

^[1]

50,253,000

45,419,000

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

127,610,000

116,436,000

Other long-term liabilities

$ 24,585,000

24,012,000

Operating lease expiration year

2033

Undiscounted future minimum lease payments through 2032

$ 131,300,000

ASU 2014-09

Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]

Revenue, practical expedient, financing component [true false]

true

New England Teamsters & Trucking Industry Pension Fund

Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

$ 200,000

Other long-term liabilities

17,100,000

Subsidiaries of Swiss Re

Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]

Additional payment obligated to pay if degree days exceed ten year average

5,000,000

Charge on weather hedge contract

$ 3,100,000

Payments of derivative hedging contract

$ 1,900,000

Subsidiaries of Swiss Re | Delivery and branch expenses

Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]

Charge on weather hedge contract

2,000,000

Subsidiaries of Swiss Re | Scenario Forecast

Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]

Derivative maximum payout

$ 5,000,000

Level 1

Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]

Captive insurance collateral, debt securities

49,700,000

44,800,000

Significant Other Observable Inputs Level 2 | New England Teamsters & Trucking Industry Pension Fund

Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]

Multiemployer plan discounted withdrawal liability

17,800,000

Mutual Funds

Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]

Captive insurance collateral, net asset value

$ 600,000

Maximum

Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]

Cash equivalents, highly liquid investments maturity

3 months

Maximum | Subsidiaries of Swiss Re | Scenario Forecast

Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]

Derivative maximum receivable

$ 12,500,000

[1]	See Note 2 – Investments

Revenue Recognition - Schedule of Impact of Adoption on Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations (Detail) - USD ($)
$ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2017

Sales:

$ 535,027

$ 436,834

102,673

91,204

6,063

31,066

3,288

28,670

Income tax expense

973

(1,512)

2,315

30,182

175

Basic and diluted income per Limited Partner Unit

$ 2,300

$ 30,007

^[1]

$ 0.04

$ 0.45

Balances Without Adoption of ASC 606 | ASU 2014-09

Sales:

$ 536,947

105,209

5,447

2,672

Income tax expense

791

1,881

Basic and diluted income per Limited Partner Unit

$ 1,868

$ 0.04

Effect of Change Higher/(Lower) | ASU 2014-09

Sales:

$ (1,920)

(2,536)

616

616

Income tax expense

182

434

432

Product

Sales:

Product | Balances Without Adoption of ASC 606 | ASU 2014-09

458,707

$ 366,734

Sales:

Product | Effect of Change Higher/(Lower) | ASU 2014-09

462,153

Sales:

Installations and services

(3,446)

Sales:

Installations and services | Balances Without Adoption of ASC 606 | ASU 2014-09

76,320

$ 70,100

Sales:

Installations and services | Effect of Change Higher/(Lower) | ASU 2014-09

74,794

Sales:

$ 1,526

[1]	See Note 15 - Earnings Per Limited Partner Unit.

Revenue Recognition - Schedule of Impact of Adoption on Condensed Consolidated Statement of Balance Sheet (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018
ASSETS
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	$ 48,657	$ 35,451
Deferred charges and other assets, net	18,774	13,067
Liabilities
Deferred tax liabilities, net	24,367	21,206
Partners’ capital
Common unitholders	328,633	329,129
General partner	(1,416)	$ (1,303)
Balances Without Adoption of ASC 606 \| ASU 2014-09
ASSETS
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	41,823
Deferred charges and other assets, net	12,182
Liabilities
Deferred tax liabilities, net	20,599
Partners’ capital
Common unitholders	319,037
General partner	(1,478)
Effect of Change Higher/(Lower) \| ASU 2014-09
ASSETS
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	6,834
Deferred charges and other assets, net	6,592
Liabilities
Deferred tax liabilities, net	3,768
Partners’ capital
Common unitholders	9,596
General partner	$ 62

Revenue Recognition - Summary of Disaggregation of Revenue by Major Sources (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Total sales	$ 535,027	$ 436,834
Home heating oil and propane
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Total sales	364,202	301,468
Other petroleum products
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Total sales	94,505	65,266
Petroleum products
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Total sales	458,707	366,734
Equipment installations
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Total sales	29,983	27,344
Equipment maintenance service contracts
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Total sales	28,319	25,397
Billable call services
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Total sales	18,018	17,359
Installations and services
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Total sales	$ 76,320	$ 70,100

Revenue Recognition - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018
Revenue Recognition [Line Items]
Revenue, practical expedient, incremental cost of obtaining contract [true false]	true
Contract costs, amortization period	5 years
Contract costs, impairment loss	$ 0
Contract liabilities	118,600,000	$ 113,800,000
Contract with customer liability, revenue recognized	67,100,000
Prepaid Expense and Other Current Assets
Revenue Recognition [Line Items]
Deferred contract costs,current	3,700,000
Deferred Charges and Other Assets, Net
Revenue Recognition [Line Items]
Deferred contract costs,non current	$ 6,600,000
Maximum
Revenue Recognition [Line Items]
Contract liabilities recognition service contract period	1 year
Equipment Maintenance Service Contracts \| Maximum
Revenue Recognition [Line Items]
Revenue from service contracts period of recognition	1 year
Residential and Commercial Home Heating Oil Customers
Revenue Recognition [Line Items]
Percentage of customers receiving deliveries based on prevailing weather conditions	96.00%
Residential Customers
Revenue Recognition [Line Items]
Customer payment terms	30 days
Percentage of customers take advantage of smart pay budget payment plan	33.00%

Common Unit Repurchase and Retirement - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) shares in Thousands		1 Months Ended			3 Months Ended	72 Months Ended
	Jul. 02, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018	Nov. 30, 2018	Oct. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jul. 30, 2015
Fourth Amendment
Capital Unit [Line Items]
Availability required to repurchase common units	$ 45,000,000
Percentage of the maximum facility size on a historical proforma and forward-looking basis	15.00%
Non Seasonal maximum borrowing capacity under revolving credit facility	$ 300,000,000						$ 300,000,000
Minimum fixed charge coverage ratio for distributions to unit holders or to repurchase common units	115.00%
Repurchase Plan
Capital Unit [Line Items]
Company's common units repurchased and retired		266	182	151	599	7,937
Company's common units authorized for repurchase						10,900
Total Common Units remain available for repurchase		4,760	5,026	5,208	4,760	5,359
Common Stock Available for Repurchase Under Open Market Transactions
Capital Unit [Line Items]
Company's common units authorized for repurchase						8,400
Common Stock Available for Repurchase Under Privately Negotiated Transactions
Capital Unit [Line Items]
Company's common units authorized for repurchase						2,500
Common Stock Repurchase Under Open Market Transactions
Capital Unit [Line Items]
Company's common units repurchased and retired					6,100

Company's Repurchase Activities (Detail) - $ / shares
shares in Thousands

1 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

72 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Nov. 30, 2018

Oct. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2018

Sep. 30, 2018

Repurchase Plan

Average Price Paid per Unit

266

182

151

599

7,937

^[1]

$ 9.41

$ 9.71

$ 9.70

$ 9.57

$ 7.11

Maximum Number of Units that May Yet Be Purchased

4,760

5,026

5,208

4,760

5,359

Repurchase Plan | Subsequent Event

Average Price Paid per Unit

516

^[1]

$ 9.39

Maximum Number of Units that May Yet Be Purchased

^[2]

4,244

Publicly Announced Plans or Programs As Part of Repurchase Plan

Publicly Announced Plans or Programs As Part of Repurchase Plan | Subsequent Event

266

182

151

599

5,493

Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]

516

[1]	Amount includes repurchase costs.
[2]	Of the total available for repurchase, approximately 1.7 million are available for repurchase in open market transactions and 2.5 million are available for repurchase in privately-negotiated transactions.

Company's Repurchase Activities (Parenthetical) (Detail) - Subsequent Event shares in Millions	Jan. 31, 2019 shares
Open Market Transactions
Capital Unit [Line Items]
Company's common units authorized for repurchase	1.7
Privately Negotiated Transactions
Capital Unit [Line Items]
Company's common units authorized for repurchase	2.5

Investments - Schedule of Investments to be Available-for-sale (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

Dec. 31, 2018

Sep. 30, 2018

$ 51,068

$ 46,623

(815)

(1,204)

Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]

^[1]

50,253

45,419

Cash and Receivables

416

350

U.S. Government Sponsored Agencies

416

350

Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]

16,208

10,735

(55)

(192)

Corporate Debt Securities

16,153

10,543

Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]

29,344

30,427

(701)

(928)

Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]

28,643

29,499

Foreign Bonds and Notes

5,100

5,111

(59)

(84)

Investments Debt And Equity Securities [Abstract]

$ 5,041

$ 5,027

[1]	See Note 2 – Investments

Investments - Schedule of Maturities of Investments (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

Dec. 31, 2018

Sep. 30, 2018

Due within one year

$ 4,455

Due after one year through five years

28,902

Due after five years through ten years

16,896

Total

^[1]

$ 50,253

$ 45,419

[1]	See Note 2 – Investments

Derivatives and Hedging-Disclosures and Fair Value Measurements - Additional Information (Detail) gal in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) gal	Dec. 31, 2017 gal	Sep. 30, 2018 USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Hedging positions and payable amounts secured under credit facility \| $	$ 20,200,000		$ 0
Prepaid expense and other current assets
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Aggregated cash posted as collateral in normal course of business \| $	3,000,000
Interest rate swap
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Notional Value \| $				$ 50,000,000
Percentage of market risk exposure of long term debt				50.00%
Fair Value \| $	$ (700,000)		$ 39,000
Call Option
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative activity volume	7.9	7.3
Call Option \| Synthetic calls
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative activity volume	92.4	83.9
Put Option
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative activity volume	6.4	8.7
Swap Contracts Bought
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative activity volume	14.0	17.9
Future Contracts \| Long
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative activity volume	18.3	27.8
Future Contracts \| Short
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative activity volume	41.2	55.1
Hedge its Internal Fuel Usage and Other Related Activities Short Swap Contracts Bought
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative activity volume	2.0
Hedge its Internal Fuel Usage and Other Related Activities Swap Contracts Bought
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative activity volume	4.3	2.3

Company's Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on Recurring Basis (Detail) - Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring - Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments under FASB ASC 815-10 - Commodity Contract - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative Assets, commodity contracts	$ 40,440	$ 18,616
Derivative Liabilities, commodity contracts	(58,757)	(103)
Fair asset and fair liability value of derivative instruments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative Assets, commodity contracts	38,247	17,710
Deferred charges and other assets, net balance
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative Assets, commodity contracts	2,193	906
Derivative Liabilities, commodity contracts	(2,445)	(103)
Fair liability and fair asset value of derivative instruments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative Liabilities, commodity contracts	(56,312)
Significant Other Observable Inputs Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative Assets, commodity contracts	40,440	18,616
Derivative Liabilities, commodity contracts	(58,757)	(103)
Significant Other Observable Inputs Level 2 \| Fair asset and fair liability value of derivative instruments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative Assets, commodity contracts	38,247	17,710
Significant Other Observable Inputs Level 2 \| Deferred charges and other assets, net balance
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative Assets, commodity contracts	2,193	906
Derivative Liabilities, commodity contracts	(2,445)	$ (103)
Significant Other Observable Inputs Level 2 \| Fair liability and fair asset value of derivative instruments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative Liabilities, commodity contracts	$ (56,312)

Offsetting of Financial Assets (Liabilities) and Derivative Assets (Liabilities) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018
Fair Values Of Financial Assets And Liabilities Including Derivative Financial Instruments [Line Items]
Net Assets (Liabilities) Presented in the Statement of Financial Position		$ 17,710
Net Assets (Liabilities) Presented in the Statement of Financial Position	$ (18,065)
Subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement
Fair Values Of Financial Assets And Liabilities Including Derivative Financial Instruments [Line Items]
Gross Assets Recognized	40,440	18,616
Gross Liabilities Offset in the Statement of Financial Position	(58,757)	(103)
Net Assets (Liabilities) Presented in the Statement of Financial Position	(18,317)	18,513
Financial Instruments		0
Cash Collateral Received		0
Net Amount	(18,317)	18,513
Subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement \| Fair asset and fair liability value of derivative instruments
Fair Values Of Financial Assets And Liabilities Including Derivative Financial Instruments [Line Items]
Gross Assets Recognized		17,710
Net Assets (Liabilities) Presented in the Statement of Financial Position		17,710
Financial Instruments		0
Cash Collateral Received		0
Net Amount		17,710
Subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement \| Deferred charges and other assets, net
Fair Values Of Financial Assets And Liabilities Including Derivative Financial Instruments [Line Items]
Gross Assets Recognized	17
Gross Liabilities Offset in the Statement of Financial Position	(14)
Net Assets (Liabilities) Presented in the Statement of Financial Position	3
Net Amount	3
Subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement \| Other long-term assets, net
Fair Values Of Financial Assets And Liabilities Including Derivative Financial Instruments [Line Items]
Gross Assets Recognized		906
Gross Liabilities Offset in the Statement of Financial Position		(103)
Net Assets (Liabilities) Presented in the Statement of Financial Position		803
Financial Instruments		0
Cash Collateral Received		0
Net Amount		803
Subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement \| Fair liability and fair asset value of derivative instruments
Fair Values Of Financial Assets And Liabilities Including Derivative Financial Instruments [Line Items]
Gross Assets Recognized	38,247
Gross Liabilities Offset in the Statement of Financial Position	(56,312)
Net Assets (Liabilities) Presented in the Statement of Financial Position	(18,065)
Financial Instruments		0
Cash Collateral Received		0
Net Amount	(18,065)
Subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement \| Other long-term liabilities
Fair Values Of Financial Assets And Liabilities Including Derivative Financial Instruments [Line Items]
Gross Assets Recognized	2,176
Gross Liabilities Offset in the Statement of Financial Position	(2,431)
Net Assets (Liabilities) Presented in the Statement of Financial Position	(255)
Financial Instruments		0
Cash Collateral Received		$ 0
Net Amount	$ (255)

Effect of Derivative Instruments on Statement of Operations (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2017

Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]

Amount of (Gain) or Loss Unrealized, commodity contracts

^[1]

$ 31,039

$ (11,400)

Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments under FASB ASC 815-10 | Commodity Contract | Cost of product

Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]

Amount of (Gain) or Loss Recognized, commodity contracts

^[2]

(6,152)

184

Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments under FASB ASC 815-10 | Commodity Contract | Cost of installations and service

Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]

Amount of (Gain) or Loss Recognized, commodity contracts

^[2]

247

(582)

Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments under FASB ASC 815-10 | Commodity Contract | Delivery and branch expenses

Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]

Amount of (Gain) or Loss Recognized, commodity contracts

^[2]

$ 166

$ (1,229)

[1]	Represents the change in value of unrealized open positions and expired options.
[2]	Represents realized closed positions and includes the cost of options as they expire.

Components of Inventory (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Product	$ 54,631	$ 34,618
Parts and equipment	21,934	21,759
Total inventory	$ 76,565	$ 56,377

Component of Property and Equipment (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]
Property and equipment	$ 212,555	$ 210,581
Less: accumulated depreciation	123,813	122,963
Property and equipment, net	$ 88,742	$ 87,618

Business Combinations - Additional Information (Detail) - Propane Dealer $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Aggregate purchase price partnership acquired	$ 0.5
Cash paid	0.3
Deferred liabilities	$ 0.2

Intangible Assets Subject to Amortization (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018
Finite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Carrying Amount	$ 391,812	$ 391,515
Accum. Amortization	297,693	293,071
Net	94,119	98,444
Customer Lists
Finite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Carrying Amount	359,073	358,776
Accum. Amortization	284,098	279,990
Net	74,975	78,786
Trade Names And Other Intangibles
Finite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Carrying Amount	32,739	32,739
Accum. Amortization	13,595	13,081
Net	$ 19,144	$ 19,658

Intangibles, net - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Amortization expense for intangible assets	$ 4.6	$ 4.7

Company's Debt (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

Dec. 31, 2018

Sep. 30, 2018

Long-term debt, carrying Amount

$ 191,831

$ 100,780

Current maturities of long-term debt, carrying Amount

102,500

9,000

Long-term debt

89,331

91,780

Current maturities of long-term debt, fair value

^[1]

192,500

101,500

^[1]

102,500

9,000

Long-term portion of debt, fair value

^[1]

90,000

92,500

Revolving Credit Facility

Credit facility borrowings, carrying Amount

92,500

1,500

Credit facility borrowings, fair value

^[1]

92,500

1,500

Term Loan

Long-term debt, carrying Amount

^[2]

99,331

99,280

^[1],[2]

$ 100,000

[1]	The face amount of the Company’s variable rate long-term debt approximates fair value.
[2]	Carrying amounts are net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $0.7 million as of December 31, 2018 and September 30, 2018.

Company's Debt (Parenthetical) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018
Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance costs	$ 0.7	$ 0.7

Long-Term Debt and Bank Facility Borrowings - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)

Jul. 02, 2018

Jul. 30, 2015

Dec. 31, 2018

Sep. 30, 2018

Hedging positions and payable amounts secured under credit facility

$ 20,200,000

$ 0

Letters of credit issued and outstanding

7,100,000

Revolving credit facility outstanding

^[1]

192,500,000

101,500,000

92,500,000

1,500,000

Availability in compliance with the fixed charge coverage ratio

180,300,000

189,000,000

Term Loan

Revolving Credit Facility

^[1],[2]

100,000,000

Revolving credit facility outstanding

$ 92,500,000

$ 1,500,000

Fourth Amendment

Non Seasonal maximum borrowing capacity under revolving credit facility

$ 300,000,000

Maximum borrowing capacity (heating season December to April) under revolving credit facility

450,000,000

Issuance of line of credit for working capital purposes

$ 25,000,000

Revolving credit facility expiry

Jul. 02, 2023

Additional revolving credit

$ 200,000,000

Facility size that can be increased without consulting bank group

$ 200,000,000

Term loan annual payment percentage

25.00%

Debt instrument, effective interest rate

5.80%

5.20%

Commitment fee on the unused portion of the facility from December through April

0.30%

Commitment fee on the unused portion of the facility from May through November

0.20%

Minimum fixed charge coverage ratio

110.00%

Availability percentage to maximum facility size

12.50%

Fourth Amendment | Maximum

Senior secured leverage ratio during quarters ending June or September

300.00%

Senior secured leverage ratio during quarters ending December or March

450.00%

Fourth Amendment | Quarterly

Term loan periodic payment

$ 2,500,000

Fourth Amendment | Annually | Maximum

Term loan periodic payment

15,000,000

Fourth Amendment | Term Loan

Senior secured term loan maturity period

Outstanding senior notes

$ 100,000,000

5 years

Fourth Amendment | Revolving Credit Facility

Debt instrument, effective interest rate

5.10%

3.80%

[1]	The face amount of the Company’s variable rate long-term debt approximates fair value.
[2]	Carrying amounts are net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $0.7 million as of December 31, 2018 and September 30, 2018.

Current and Deferred Income Tax Expense (Benefit) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Deferred Income Tax Assets And Liabilities
Income before income taxes	$ 3,288	$ 28,670
Current tax expense	1,589	1,228
Deferred tax (benefit) expense	(616)	8,712
Deferred tax benefit - impact of tax reform		(11,452)
Total deferred tax benefit	(616)	(2,740)
Total tax expense (benefit)	$ 973	$ (1,512)

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Effective tax rate	29.60%	(5.30%)
Provisional remeasurement of deferred tax liabilities resulted in an discrete tax benefit	$ 0	$ 11,500,000
Effective income tax rate excluding impact of net deferred tax liability		34.70%
Unrecognized income tax benefits	$ 0
Federal
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Number of years for examination	4 years
Federal \| Tax Year 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Corporate income tax rate		35.00%
Federal \| Tax Year 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Corporate income tax rate	21.00%
New York
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Number of years for examination	4 years
Connecticut
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Number of years for examination	4 years
Pennsylvania
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Number of years for examination	4 years
New Jersey
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Number of years for examination	5 years

Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Cash paid during the period for:
Income taxes, net	$ 3,811	$ 437
Interest	$ 2,441	$ 1,806

Net Income Allocation and Per Unit Data (Detail) - USD ($)
$ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2017

Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Limited Partner:

Less General Partner’s interest in net income

$ 2,315

$ 30,182

175