MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) – 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. “On the other hand, it could be that we’re at the lowest point now.”

The trade association has about 190 members, among them many of the state’s fuel oil retailers and wholesalers.

“I’ve been in this business for 40 years and I’ve never seen it like this,” Garside said. “Everybody’s holding off because of the high prices.”

The average price in New Hampshire for a gallon of heating oil last week was $1.49, compared to $1.29 in September 2003 and $1.07 in August 2002.

“It’s anybody’s guess whether holding off is going to result in people paying higher or lower prices for next winter’s oil,” said Joe Broyles of the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning.

Broyles listed several key factors in the oil equation: a rising demand for petroleum products worldwide, U.S. refineries that are operating at near capacity but are focused on gasoline rather than home heating oil and the $10 a barrel terror or war premium on crude oil.

Despite the uncertainty, Broyles believes dealers will start offering pre-purchase plans in the weeks ahead.

“I tell people that if you can pre-buy your fuel, I think that’s always a good idea, because it takes one thing off your plate,” he said.

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Information from: The Union Leader, http://www.theunionleader.com

AP-ES-07-18-04 1031EDT