Fuel costs are up across the board this fall in New Hampshire. Various kinds of fuel, including automotive and home heating, are all expected to cost more, putting additional strain on budgets.
The average cost to fill a standard home heating oil tank (275 gallons) will be about $1,500 more this winter for New Hampshire residents, $610 more than last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That’s for a single delivery.
In September, diesel fuel hit a new all-time high price of $6.42 per gallon in New Hampshire. Currently, it hovers just below that, at $6.37 per gallon — a 68.5% increase from last year’s price in October, $3.78 per gallon.
Tim Anderson, owner of Terraform Contracting in New Ipswich, has three excavators, a loader, bulldozer, skid steer and several trucks that run on diesel. He said the price jump is significant.
“We’re a small operation, but fuel is a big factor in our costs. Especially when it doubles,” Anderson said.
Anderson estimated he’s spending between $6,000 and $8,000 per month on fuel, depending on the jobs, compared to $4,000 to $5,000 per month previously.
Initially, said Anderson, he was absorbing the increase, but recently had to adjust job pricing, as the spike has lingered for more than six weeks.
“It’s hard, because we have no negotiating power when we purchase fuel,” Anderson said. His company has changed its purchasing habits, buying smaller amounts of fuel, more week-to-week than month-to-month, and monitoring the prices in hopes they come down.
“Long-term planning is tough with so many unknowns,” Anderson said.
Higher costs are also affecting emergency service departments. Souhegan Valley Ambulance, an independent, nonprofit ambulance that serves New Ipswich and Greenville, reports increases in several areas, including diesel and propane, according to ambulance Chief Wendy Leger.
“The costs have gone up considerably,” Leger said. The ambulance service has already exceeded its initial diesel fuel budget for the year, “and we still have two and a half months to go. So it’s definitely going to have an effect.”
Leger said the ambulance service has also faced higher medical supply costs because of tariffs.
“It’s just a lot of unanticipated expenses. Things we didn’t budget for that have increased,” Leger said.
New Ipswich Fire Chief Ben Hatcher said he and his assistant chiefs have been closely monitoring their fuel budget and expect to be at or over budget this month, despite taking measures to conserve fuel.
Hatcher said the department has been responding to calls with its command car first to assess situations that may not need a truck, such as false alarms, and has also foregone community events, such as parades and fairs, to limit fuel consumption.
“We’re struggling hard,” Hatcher said. “No one could afford fuel prices like this in a regular budget, and New Ipswich is currently under a default budget.”
Home heating oil affected, too
Home heating in New Hampshire is expected to be more expensive this winter than last. October prices were $5.97 per gallon for fuel oil, $4.09 per gallon for propane and $6.87 per gallon for kerosene, according to the New Hampshire Department of Energy.
The U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee’s minority report indicates home heating oil prices are at a record high.
U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, a Democrat and ranking member of the committee, pointed to the war with Iran as a cause for the spike in home heating costs.
“With cold weather approaching, families are already under pressure from higher prices for everyday necessities, and now they face even more expensive heating costs,” Hassan said. “Instead of the relief President Trump promised, his war, tariffs, and other reckless policies continue to make it harder for families to afford the basics.”