Facing rising fuel prices - Gasoline, fuel oil costs soar with strikes, war fears

www.coshoctontribune.com By KATHY THOMPSON Gannett News Service

CARY ASHBY/Tribune Robert Brown of Coshocton fills up his vehicle at Clark High Caliber Pit Stop on Chestnut Street. Regular unleaded gas prices around the state ranged from $1.54 per gallon to $1.74 Thursday. Pit Stop customers paid $1.62.

COSHOCTON -- They're heating up all across the country. Prices for gas and oil, that is.

Gas bills seem to have consumers coming and going these days with the cost of heating oil and crude oil rising quicker than temperatures.

The unfortunate fact is prices are probably not going to go down soon.

With Venezuela strikes and unrest in the Middle East, very few are actually "filling up" their tanks in their vehicles.

Heating homes is becoming more expensive with bills exceeding $100 to $300 more this year than last, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Heating oil prices rose 18.1 cents per gallon to their highest level in three years, reports the U.S. Energy Information Administration, or the EIA, the statistical arm of the U.S. Department of Energy.

That makes it $1.76 per gallon, more than 56 cents higher then last year.

According to Columbia Gas of Ohio, which has about 1.3 million customers throughout Ohio, the average bill could be more then $35 a month higher from February to April this year.

Ray Frank, a spokesperson for Columbia Gas, said consumers are getting hit with "three strikes at one time."

"What we have is colder weather, more consumption and higher prices," Frank said.

"We're having what we call colder degree days," Frank said. "That means we are at 5 percent colder this winter than a normal winter."

But, what is considered a normal winter has not hit this area for several years, which is why consumers are feeling the crunch, Frank said.

"We start our heating weather, as we call it, in November," Frank explained. "Starting in January, we usually have a few days a month or even more during a month, where the temperatures are warming up and we don't notice the cold so much. But, this winter, we really started getting cold in November and we've stayed cold. There's just been no letting up."

The result is higher demand on a market that is short in supply, Frank said.

"With the talk of war in Iraq, with the rush on the market for fuel, we're all in the same boat -- us, the gas stations, the other fuel companies, we're all hurting," Frank said.

Kno-Ho-Co-Ashland Community Action Commission has seen an increase in clients this winter who are in an emergency situation regarding their home heating bills.

"We've seen an increase of about 32 percent this winter," said John Flexter, a HEAP administrator.

"I think it's gas prices, the way the economy is and just the way the winter has gone that's affecting everyone," Flexter said. "This is a pretty normal winter for Ohio. For the past few years, we've had mild winters."

Flexter suggests turning the thermostat down, turning the hot water thermostat down to 120-125 degrees, and using low heat for gas dryers to save on home heating bills.

"Making sure the house is as closed up as possible can save money," Flexter said.

One thing consumers are encouraged to do to help offset costs is to shop around.

"We encourage customers to shop around the other gas companies," Frank said. "That is always a plus for them. Sometimes they can find much better deals if they just look."

Prices around the state ranged from $1.54 per gallon to $1.74.

According to a national survey by AAA, the national average price per gallon is $1.66, almost 54 cents above the national average this time last year.

AAA recorded the highest priced gasoline in California, with prices almost to the $2 mark. Prices in Kentucky and Virginia were recorded at some of the lowest at $1.58 per gallon, the survey showed.

J.D. Cunningham, an employee at Kwik-Fill in Coshocton, said prices at their station were low "most of the time."

"We had a special on Tuesday where we were at $1.66 a gallon," Cunningham said. "We've been pretty busy today, though."

No matter where the price for gas lands these days, some residents just are not happy with them.

"I haven't really heard anyone complain about the prices," Flexter said. "Well, I've been complaining. I've probably complained for most of them, myself. It's a shame where the prices are, but it looks like they may be here awhile."

kthompson@nncogannett.com 450-6764 Originally published Friday, February 28, 2003