Gas prices on the rise again

Fuel prices are always volatile, but New Hampshire has seen an average spike of nearly a nickel a gallon in just a week at some locations.On average, prices in the Manchester area were about $2.62 on Oct. 4 – up 2 cents overnight alone and some 4 cents in the last month, said the American Automobile Association.Diesel has climbed even higher – almost 7 cents a gallon, to $2.92 from $2.85 a week earlier.In Portsmouth, where gasoline prices are typically 3 cents a gallon higher than in Manchester, average prices on Oct. 4 were $2.65, climbing from $2.58 a week earlier, and $2.60 a month earlier.Diesel is slightly cheaper on the Seacoast, averaging $2.91, but that price reflects a 5-cent increase from a week earlier.The statewide average gas price is $2.63; the national average is $2.72.But prices approaching $2.70 and beyond have been reported across the state, based on the online visitor-supported gas price site GasBuddy.com.As reported by AAA, gasoline prices in Manchester and Portsmouth are running about 20 cents higher for gas and 30 cents higher for diesel from a year earlier.Partly to blame is that oil per-barrel prices have risen to a two-month high, to $82.Oct. 1 also marks the start of the heating oil season. The New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning tracks heating oil prices monthly April through September, and weekly beginning in October.According to the most recent OEP survey on Sept. 7, the average New Hampshire heating oil price was $2.66 per gallon.According to Portland, Maine-based energy price aggregator Energy Data Corp. and its NewEnglandOil.com site, New Hampshire’s average heating oil price was about $2.57 per gallon on Sept. 28. – CINDY KIBBE/NEW HAMPSHIRE BUSINESS REVIEW