Understanding Prices
Why are we paying so much for our oil?
That’s a question we ask everyday. The usual suspects for high prices—increased demand and limited supply—don’t tell the whole story in the world oil market. We’re also affected by the Middle East, strife in other oil-producing nations and a weakened dollar.
But these factors alone don’t appear to support today’s high prices. For that, we have to look to the speculators, the people who make money betting on rising and falling prices on the oil markets. This may account for as much as $25 in the price of a barrel of crude oil.
We’ve survived price shocks before and kept our customers warm and safe. We know the high cost of heating oil causes you hardship and, as in the past, we promise that we’re here for you today. We’re out there every day, working hard to keep you safe and warm.
We also work hard to ease the impact of higher prices, but there are limits to what we can do. Like you, we feel tremendous financial pressure. In fact, when oil prices rise, we typically make less money.
We also rely on you
Your timely payments are a critical part of our business. They provide us with a steady cash flow so we can pay our suppliers on time. This helps ensure that we have plenty of fuel and lets us offer the pricing and payment options that make your life easier.