Source: Associated Press [USA Today] ( Free Registration )

New Englanders struggling this summer to pay gas prices topping $4 a gallon should brace for more bad news — home heating oil costs next winter are expected to hit record highs.

One retail heating oil dealer says she expects a typical household delivery that cost $500 last winter will climb to at least $850 this winter.

“It’s going to be staggering,” said Northboro Oil Co. owner Sandra Farrell in telephone interview with The Associated Press. “It’s going to be a real problem going into this winter for everyone unless something changes.”

Read Full Article: Northeast braces for home heating oil increases