BANGOR (AP) – In the South, motorists are dealing with a short-term gasoline shortage. In Maine, consumers are dealing with a shortage of an altogether different type of fuel – wood pellets.

Some fuel pellet distributors are running out of pellets within days of getting shipments from manufacturers. The problem, pellet experts say, is that people are stockpiling them.

If everyone using heating oil took their entire season’s worth in July, there wouldn’t be any oil left, said George Soffron from Corinth Wood Pellets, the state’s largest pellet manufacturer. That’s the situation that pellet companies are dealing with, he said.

“Everyone wanted pellets in July it seems,” Soffron said. “And I’ve heard of people buying a two-year supply of pellets, which is ridiculous. There is no need to do that.”

The increase in pellet stove sales has created a growing demand for fuel to feed the stoves.

For consumers, there is incentive to buy in bulk. If they have storage space, homeowners can buy and store as many pellets as they can afford. The average price for a ton is about $300, but some distributors offer discounts for large sales.

“So many people have switched over to pellets, and I think people are panicking and buying in bulk,” said Bruce Linkletter of Maine Wood Pellets Co. in Athens, which is struggling to keep up with demand. “If people are patient, there are plenty of pellets to go around.”

Heating oil customers, by contrast, usually buy only 275 gallons of oil – the size of a standard home oil tank – at a time.

Soffron has asked distributors to spread out the amount they sell so they don’t run out. There should be supply available as cold weather settles in because his plant will continue producing all winter, he said.

Corinth Wood Pellets is producing twice as much as it did six months ago and recently made investments that will allow the plant to increase its output even more, Soffron said, adding that 70 percent of his plant’s output stays in Maine.

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Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com