It is hard to believe that it is already November. It feels like just yesterday was a beach day! Well with temperatures in the 60’s this week it certainly hasn’t felt like November. However, the snow from the end of October Nor’easter is a reminder that winter will be here before we know it.
In the wake of the Nor’easter thousands were left without power for days (me included)! This is concerning on many levels. One never realizes just how lucky we are to live with all our modern conveniences until you don’t have them! No electricity means no TV, computer, cable, and most importantly no heat! Unless you are lucky enough to have a fireplace or pellet stove those days following the storm were very cold. They also served as a reminder that heating our homes for the winter is just a few short weeks away.
A lot of people in my area, if not most, have oil heat. The past few years we have had oil prices sky rocket. The economy is still reeling and unemployment is still a big issue, but we still have to heat our homes. In this day and age, the average Joe’s are thinking twice before touching our thermostats.
Today, to get 250 gallons of oil for your tank it would cost an average of $957.50…and that is for one delivery! Of course this would depend on the price your oil company is quoting right now. A state survey conducted by Mass Energy reported the average on 11/8/11 was $3.83/gallon with a high of $4.50 and a low of $3.42.
Not only is price important but customer service is also a big factor when choosing the company who will heat your home. You want someone that is really going to be there for you because Murphy’s Law dictates the furnace will only break at 2am or on a Sunday!
This year there has been a spike in the need for fuel assistance. Citizens for Citizens, a fuel assistance agency, has already received 3,700 applications for assistance that have been approved, and 11,700 more are pending approval. Last year, the agency received close to 20,000 applications for fuel assistance. Here are some links that will help if you are in need of some assistance this winter:
http://www.cityofboston.gov/environmentalandenergy/HomeHeating/winterheating.asp
http://www.citizensenergy.com/english/pages/117/massachusetts
http://www.massresources.org/massachusetts_energy_assistance_d.html
These random Indian Summer’ish days are a bonus, unfortunately! It will be a very long cold winter if every time we get a Nor’easter thousands don’t have heat! As the saying goes “Home is where the heart is”…. Let’s hope home is where the heat and electricity is this winter, too!
