Demand for heating fuel is up this winter, and Mainers may be waiting a bit longer for oil and propane deliveries.
Fuel retailers are adjusting after the last several winters have been relatively mild, said Charlie Summers, president and CEO of the Maine Energy Marketers Association.
"The fuel retailers that I represent, they will base the total amount of fuel that they purchase for their customers on previous winters. And for the three, four, five winters in Maine, they've been fairly mild. They look at customer usage in the past and try to anticipate usage in the future, or the present as we are right now," Summers said.
Fuel usage is up for this winter, which has been colder than the last few years. Summers said there have been at least 30 days where temperatures have been below freezing.
Delivery delays may be more common for those who don't have a contract with their heating company and order fuel as needed. Summers said most fuel retailers in Maine first service customers who have established automatic deliveries.
Anyone who's running low on fuel should call their heating provider as soon as possible, so they can get on the delivery schedule, Summers said.
Some fuel delivery drivers are working a few extra hours a day to meet the demand, he added.
