By Doug Fletcher,Staff Writer

A recent run-up in the price of crude oil reflected in gasoline station filling pumps is also being felt in home energy markets.

This week’s Maine State Planning Office survey of home heating oil prices found the statewide average cash price for No. 2 heating oil to be $1.94 per gallon.

That’s up 4 cents since last week and 39 higher than last year at this time.

Kerosene averaged $2.22 per gallon, a 5-cent increase since last week and 41 cents higher than last year’s price.

Within the State Planning Office sample, the lowest actual heating oil price this week was $1.75 per gallon found in southwestern Maine and the high-end price of $2.10 per gallon was found in the east.

Propane averaged $2.05 per gallon, a 1-cent decrease since last week but 33 cents higher than last year.

Oil and kerosene prices could also fall soon.

The price of crude oil closed Friday at $47.15 per barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange, down $1.16 per barrel on the week but $13.52 higher than last year at this time.

Analysts said crude prices could fall further this week now that the Iraq election has been held and pipelines weren’t interrupted. Another factor bearing on the market is OPEC’s decision to continue pumping oil at current levels rather than cutting production.

Cold weather is the key factor affecting refined oil product prices, said the planning office, because of its impact on demand. Cold and snow during the last two weeks resulted in a drop of more than 2 million barrels in U.S. heating oil inventories, the office reported.

U.S. crude oil inventories are in the upper half of their average range.