As heating oil prices hit record highs, Mainers are eyeing winter with growing trepidation

MAINE PUBLIC • September 30, 2026

Heating oil prices in Maine hit a record high last week, at $6.02 a gallon on average. It'll now cost an extra $740 to fill a standard 250-gallon tank than a year ago. On top of the global market turmoil triggered by the U.S. - Iran war, heating oil, which is similar to diesel, is also affected by limited refining capacity, which has taken a hit from fighting in the Middle East and in Ukraine. "As a result, we're seeing very tight supplies for diesel and heating oil," said Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association. Democrats in Maine and across the country are laying the affordability issue at the feet of Republicans.