MAINE, USA — With temperatures dropping, many Mainers are concerned about high prices for heating oil.
Sixty percent of homes in the state use fuel oil as their main source of heat, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The Governor's Energy Office reported the average cost of heating oil statewide is $4.56 — that's a 72% increase from 2021 when the average was sitting at $2.65.
"You wonder what are people gonna do that can't really afford it? Are they going to starve to death or freeze to death?" Carolyn Boyington, a homeowner in Hermon, asked.
Boyington said she used to pay around $300 for her heating oil. However, her last bill was just over $500.
"Well, this has been the most challenging year ever," Sinclair's Home Heating Office Manager, Shelly Stevens, said.
Stevens said the prices began to spike in the spring.
"We were seeing price increases from the rack multiple times a day. And sometimes, each increase was over 30 or 40 cents each," Stevens said.
Some Mainers are already planning how they will pay their bills in the winter. Prices this winter are estimated to be the highest heating costs in more than a decade, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association.
The Maine State Housing Authority said it's already seen a 10% increase from last year in families applying for the Home Energy Assistance Program. It's expecting that number to grow. In 2021, about 40,000 Maine households benefitted from the low-income program last winter.
If you are interested in learning more or to see if you are eligible for HEAP, click here.