http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/11/29/the_real_chill/Last week's cold snap helped drive home the point: With the price of crude oil at nearly $100 a barrel, the corresponding jump in fuel oil makes staying warm this winter a considerably more expensive proposition.
The fill-up of a 200-gallon heating-oil tank that cost $466 last year is going for $626 today. Dealers say they are feeling the pinch, too, as they are forced to gamble on future prices, and might be left holding the bag when customers cannot pay on time - or, as is increasingly the case, cannot pay at all.
About a dozen companies across the region have gone out of business or consolidated with other companies in the past year or so, according to the Massachusetts Oilheat Council, a trade organization.
Consumers, meanwhile, are trying hard to trim costs - turning down thermostats, replacing and repairing their heating equipment, burning more coal and wood, and installing energy-saving insulation, according to businesses across the region.
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