It's been a while since I have blogged. Running the LIHEAP program on the New Hampshire side of the Connecticut Upper Valley keeps you pretty busy during this season. I wanted to point out in this blog the average fuel prices as of December 2, 2008; You can find this information at
http://www.nh.gov/oep/index.htm

Average Fuel Prices as of December 8, 2008

Heating Oil, credit: $2.516/gal Propane, credit: $2.782/gal Kerosene, credit: $3.367/gal Electricity: $0.16461/kwh Natural Gas, first tier: $1.4996/therm Natural Gas, second tier: $1.3950/therm Gasoline, self-serve regular: $1.741/gal Diesel: $2.696/gal

Here are the average fuel prices as of September 2, 2008 that were posted in a previous blog;

FUEL PRICES
Heating Oil, credit:
$3.973/gal
Propane, credit:
$3.238/gal
Kerosene, credit:
$4.634/gal
Electricity:
$0.15872/kwh
Natural Gas, first tier:
$1.5250/therm
Natural Gas, second tier:
$1.3844/therm
Gasoline, self-serve regular:
$3.634/gal
Diesel:
$4.260/gal

It's amazing how people just a few months ago were paying these high prices for fuel.

(Difference in fuel prices between September 2, 2008 to December 2, 2008)

Heating Oil: $1.46/gal
Propane: .45 Cents/gal
Kerosene: $1.27/gal
Electricity: .00589/kwh
Gasoline: $1.89/gal
Diesel: $1.57/gal

A dollar and some change may not seem like much, but it add's up and it add's up on the "things" that we all consume. Just because the fuel prices have gone down doesn't mean that social service agencies as well as food pantries have seen a decrease in clientele. I can say that in my office it has been heavy and steady. Most recently there have been a large number of lay offs. So not only have I seen an increase in people applying for LIHEAP who are low-income and a vulnerable population as well as many others, there are now more people coming into my office who are trying to prepare for the near future before their lay offs catch up with them financially.

One flaw with the LIHEAP program that I run is that I HAVE to take income from the date of the clients application and thirty days prior. This means ANY income received within the household. For example if someone is laid off and comes into my office a week later for help with their fuel, their current income does not reflect their current situation.

So our media has finally admitted to this recession. Of course we have all seen it coming in slow motion. For information about services in your local area in Vermont and New Hampshire you can dial 211, it's FREE!! Also visit www.fapgap.org