Temps Are Dropping, But Heating Fuel and Energy Prices Are Not…
I’ve been on the road for work over the past month and each time I’ve returned home I’ve noticed that we’ve begun that annual turn where the leaves start falling and temperatures start dropping. It’s the time of year that we love the colors we get to see in the trees, the cozy sweaters we get to pull out of storage and I start to make yummy soups, stews and roasts. It’s also the time of year that comes with a certain amount of dread for many Maine homes-when we know we’re going to need to turn the heat on and worry about heating fuel.
I know us Mainers are hardy, delaying the annual thermostat creep up as long as we can, but I fear this year it isn’t going to be to prove the level of chill we can tolerate, it will be for survival as so many households will be forced to make the choice between food, shelter and heat.
Last year about this time we got our first 100 gallons of heating oil for our home. It was $3.09 a gallon or $309.90 total. And we had to get 5, 100 gallon deliveries over the winter that ran a total of $1720 for the season. If the current $5.79 is the average for this season that new season total will be about $2895, almost $1200 more than what we paid in 2025. That’s about an extra $240 per month we’re going to have to figure out. That’s an extra $200+ a month Maine families are going to have to try and figure out.
I posted this to social media earlier today to share my worry and frustration. This is what Trump’s America is doing to our communities. The current programs in place to support low-income households with fuel and energy, like LIHEAP or Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, were targeted by the Trump administration earlier this year. His administration cut all of the federal LIHEAP staff in 2025, leaving states with minimal guidance and support to administer the program and attempted to end the program completely this spring. Thankfully the program was preserved, but the attacks on SNAP and Medicaid are creating even more dire conditions for individuals, seniors and families in Maine who rely on these programs to survive.
In the comments of my social post, other Mainers shared their recent experiences and frustrations:
“I’m concerned about how much HEAP has lost in funding to help supplement our elders and young families”
“Just got my first 100 gallons. Can’t afford to fill it. Can’t afford to keep waiting. $605. We are doomed. No woodstove, and nowhere to install one. I’m so worried about this winter. :( “
“I’m really worried about heating this year. I’m in Oxford county. In years past I’ve prepaid for the season to lock in my price. Can’t do it this year. Looking at everything and anything I can cut back on. This is a horrible way to live.”
I’m not sharing this just to make everyone feel terrible or hopeless. It’s a sobering reality that we all have to look at as we have 49 days left before the November elections. Today is National Voter Registration Day. There is one way out of this mess and it is to get out and vote. Call or text your friends and family. Make sure they have a plan. Make sure they know how this current economy is impacting you, your neighbors and your friends. Talk to the people running for local, state and national office. Look at their values. Look at their platforms. But most of all, get out and vote.
I decided to make the move to run for state legislature, not because I feel like I have all the answers (I can guarantee you I don’t), but because I wanted to be able to work with other very smart people from around our state who can come together and make policy to help all Mainers. Especially our most vulnerable. We have a difficult road ahead with our current economic conditions and it is going to take all of us to ensure that no one has to make the choice between food, medicine or heat.