Heating oil prices up 5 cents

AUGUSTA – Heating oil prices in Maine pushed toward the $2 mark, hitting an average of $1.77 a gallon this week, the State Planning Office reported Monday.

That is an increase of 5 cents from last week and 67 cents more than a year ago.

Prices across the state ranged from as low as $1.65 a gallon in some parts of southwestern Maine to as much as $1.92 in some central sections.

Kerosene was up 4 cents to an average of $1.99 a gallon. Propane jumped 8 cents to $1.82 for a 600-gallon residential tank supply.

Increased crude oil imports from Venezuela have not been sufficient to offset continued demand on heating supplies that have been hit hard because of continued low temperatures and snowstorms along the East Coast, the planning office reported.