MANCHESTER, N.H. – Residents who usually place orders for winter heating oil around now will have to wait awhile.

Fuel dealers typically start offering savings through pre-purchase plans in mid-July, but not this year. Dealers say they’re hesitant to buy oil at today’s high wholesale prices.

“The dealer doesn’t know what to do in terms of buying. If he ends up with 3 million gallons’ worth of contract and 10 days from now something happens that makes the price drop, he could be hung up having paid so much,” said Robert Garside, president of the Better Home Heat Council of New Hampshire.