http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=137859&ac=PHnwsThe statewide average price for heating oil in Maine is 44 cents higher today than it was last year at this time, and is likely to go even higher this winter, according to the most recent projections by government analysts.
The statewide cash price was $2.69 a gallon on Monday, up from $2.25 last Oct. 2, according to the season's first dealer survey by the Maine Office of Energy Independence and Security.
Average kerosene prices are starting out in a similar position, at $3.09 a gallon compared with $2.70 a year ago.
And the picture doesn't look great going forward. High crude oil prices, lower inventories and an outlook for temperatures to be colder than last winter could push regional averages to $2.81 a gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
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