This summer, with gas prices north of $4 per gallon, Scott Forbes of Windham cut his car time where he could. He cut back on long trips, consolidated his shorter trips and used his wife’s more efficient car whenever possible.
And now that gas in the Lakes Region is hovering at around half that price, he doesn’t expect to fall back into the trap of careless miles and wasted resources.
“We are still in the mindset of using less gas,” Forbes said while filling up at the Puffin Stop on Roosevelt Trail in Windham.
Many Lakes Region residents who reduced their fuel usage as prices soared are continuing to mind their miles now that gas is more affordable. The drivers, like Forbes, hope others follow their lead, for the sake of both the environment and keeping costs down.
“I think it’s important for all of us to get a grip on this spending,” said Forbes, who said the $4 per gallon gas revealed the fragility and necessity of our fuel supply.
Motorists will be tested over the winter, say fuel dealers who do not expect prices to rise over the next few months.
“I don’t see any need for prices to go up in the near future and I don’t foresee a return to the astronomical prices of spring,” said Chick Wilkins, spokesman for Maine oil, diesel and gasoline distributor C.N. Brown.
Wilkins said prices are currently running 40 to 50 cents less than this time last year. At the most, he said, he might expect prices to return to that level in coming months.
“I’m not sure anybody can put a prediction on that,” Jamie Py, president and chief executive officer of the Maine Oil Dealers Association.
The Maine Oil Dealers Association tracks trends in the oil industry and, according to its Web site, has more than 450 members, including 230 heating oil, propane, motor fuels and convenience store owners who serve more than 415,000 Maine households.
“There are two factors that really contribute to fuel prices: speculation in the financial markets and economic demand, which, right now, is economic collapse,” Py said. “If the speculation piece is dealt with in Congress, prices could stay reasonable, but we don’t know if Congress is going to act.”
One thing keeping prices low right now is that demand is down and conservation is up, Wilkins said.
“People are driving less and seeking fuel alternatives,” he said. “And, even with prices down, we’re not seeing a lot of switching back from those alternative sources. When prices went up this spring, a lot of people went out and bought wood boilers, wood stoves and pellet stoves. They had them installed over the summer. It’s in their back yard. They’ve already got their money tied up in that.”
But Cornish resident Ed Willett said he feels like he can afford to drive more now, after having adjusted how many trips he took in his car when gas prices were higher. Willett said he doesn’t trust that oil prices will stay low.
“I don’t trust the oil companies,” Willett said while filling up his gas tank at the Valero station in Standish Monday.
Other customers at the Valero station said they would continue to limit their driving despite widespread gas prices under $2 per gallon.
“I’m a lot more cautious,” said Limington resident Cathy Burns, adding that she plans her errands to make less trips in her car. “You have to be careful.”
Mike and Melanie Allen of East Baldwin were pumping gas into their 1997 Nissan, which they said gets 40-45 miles per gallon.
Mike Allen, who said he and his wife have always looked for efficiencies, said he’s worried that with gas prices low again, others are more likely to go back to wasting gas.
“It’s everyone’s back yard,” Allen said.
Jonathan Mapes, owner and president of the gasoline and diesel distributor H.A. Mapes in Springvale, also predicted consumers could resume their bad habits, like driving alone instead of carpooling and making multiple trips instead of one trip.
“Americans tend to forget, and quickly,” he said.
In October, Mapes said, his company saw a “bit of a bump in gallons pumped overall,” but added he’s not sure if that is because the lower prices allow consumers to purchase more gas for the same price they were paying earlier this year, or if consumers were driving more and using more.
“I think prices have to stay down and consumers have to keep their new habits for the good of the world, not just the good of the country,” Mapes said. “We have to get people back to work. This has to help a homeowner’s budget. It has to.”
It also helps fuel dealers and retailers budgets, he said.
“As a distributor, delivering 10,000 gallons at $4 a gallon is a greater credit risk than delivering 10,000 gallons at $2 a gallon,” Mapes explained. “We’re breathing a little easier, too.”
But, when it comes to predicting fuel prices, Mapes and the experts at the Maine Oil Dealers Association agree.
“Really, nobody has the answers,” Mapes said.
East Baldwin resident Mike Allen pumps gasoline at the Valero station in Standish Monday. Allen said he’s worried people will go back to less efficient habits now that gas prices are dropping.
Ed Willett of Cornish said he feels he can afford to drive more now that gas prices are half what they were this summer, though he added that an increase in demand could cause another rise in prices.
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