Homeowners who heat with oil are feeling sticker shock as heating oil prices rise to more than $4.50 a gallon.
Heating oil prices are nearly double what they were last year at this time, and some oil dealers have delayed rolling out their payment plans for next winter as the chaotic world oil markets continue their wild ride.
The angst over heating oil prices is particularly acute in New England, where a higher proportion of people use oil as their primary heating source than any other region, ranging from more than 75 percent in Maine to about 40 percent in Massachusetts.
While people elsewhere in the country are worried about air conditioning bills, people in the Northeast are already thinking ahead to next winter and reviewing different payment options, such as fixed-price, capped-price or prepayment plans, with oil companies.