$$ not oil it’s cracked up to be

PORTLAND, Maine — New England is getting another break on heating oil prices this winter, with potential savings of hundreds of dollars per customer, providing breathing room for a region with some of the nation’s highest energy costs. But some officials are worried lower prices will delay efforts to improve efficiency. Low oil and propane prices al ready have made it more difficult for gasdistribution companies that are trying to expand their service areas in the region. Sales of energyefficient automated pellet furnaces also have flagged because of lower oil prices.

“It’s been a slow year for getting residential customers to convert,” said Peter Bottomley, of Maine Natural Gas, which expects customer growth this year of 4 percent, compared with 15 percent the year before. “Resi dential homeowners are willing to wait until the moment when they can see instant savings.”

Oil prices cratered late last winter, providing an unexpected windfall of hundreds of millions of dollars to energy consumers in New England.

The trend is expected to continue this winter. The latest Maine data put the average heating oil price at close to $2 per gallon, about 50 cents lower than the same time a year ago.