Arabic version: ارتفاع أسعار زيت التدفئة يضغط على ميزانيات الأسر في مين
According to Cnbc, heating oil averaged roughly $5.91 a gallon nationally as of Nov. 9, up about $2.19, or 59%, from a year earlier, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The EIA forecast in October that a household using heating oil would spend an average of $2,115 from November through March, 21% more than last winter, though a warmer Northeast winter could reduce consumption.
Maine may feel the increase especially sharply because about half of its homes use heating oil. The state’s average price was roughly $5.83 a gallon, about $2.49, or 75%, higher than a year earlier. Jason Parent, chief executive of AVEC Community Action in Presque Isle, said the jump “is crushing folks” already struggling with living costs. AVEC provides heating assistance and other services in three of Maine’s 16 counties.
About 4.1 million U.S. households primarily use heating oil, including close to 3.4 million in the Northeast, the EIA said. Deliveries are made in large quantities, creating a substantial upfront cost for some residents. In Maine, ordering at least 100 gallons for a standard 275-gallon tank can avoid a surcharge, according to the state attorney general’s office. At current prices, 100 gallons would cost about $600.
AVEC’s Home Energy Assistance Program offers support to qualifying households, funded through the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Parent said the average HEAP benefit is about $750 this season, versus roughly $550 last year, but buys fewer gallons because of higher prices. The Trump administration said Nov. 4 it would release 300,000 barrels from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve. Lawmakers have also sought an additional $3 billion in emergency LIHEAP funding, though whether that request will be considered remains uncertain.
