Pain at the Pump

Connecticut drivers face an especially harsh dilemma as gasoline becomes more expensive. Not only does the price of fuel continue to rise, the state has gas prices significantly higher than the national average.

A state average of $4.16 per gallon was recorded on Wednesday, up 39 cents from the average of $3.76 recorded one month ago, according to AAA’s price tracker. The national average rose 30 cents during the last month as well, from a per-gallon price of $3.58 one month ago to $3.88 on Wednesday.

Connecticut residents are responding by utilizing reward programs, crossing the border to Massachusetts for cheaper fuel, carpooling and more.

Diana Ortiz travels from Ansonia to visit her daughter at Lincoln College in Suffield. By the time Diaz returns home, she’s made a 120-mile round trip.

Lincoln’s campus is within sight of Agawam, MA, and Diaz travels to that town’s F.L. Roberts gas station to fill up.

“It’s like [an extra] five minutes, why not?” she said.

Diaz was in the process of joining the station’s rewards club on Tuesday, having found another way to save on the increasing cost of fuel.

“I see more Connecticut people now, they all complain about their prices,” said Jen Jacobs, manager of the F.L. Roberts station.

Jacobs said the rewards club has seen a rise in membership and customers are bringing in Big Y discount tokens, accepted by the store to reduce the per-gallon cost of gas, as well.

“Gas prices are crazy,” she said.

Judy Wheelock, of Springfield, MA, is a manager at the Citgo station on Route 159 in Suffield, the last gas station on that road before the Massachusetts border.

The station charts the prices it and its competitors post each day. While rising prices for unleaded gasoline are affecting the majority of drivers, the recent increase in the price of diesel fuel is even more dramatic.

On January 1, the station sold a gallon of diesel for $3.39. On Tuesday, the going rate was $4.45.

“It’s hard, very hard,” Wheelock said. “A lot of people don’t know what to do.”

Sikes Tree Services, a landscaping company in Suffield, gets their fuel from the station and Wheelock said that the company has noticed the price increase in a big way.

“It’s like a chain reaction,” she said, noting that high gas costs are passed along to consumers indirectly – some businesses are forced to raise prices to compensate for more expensive fuel.

Gas prices were pretty consistent along the highly competitive – and usually cheaper – Route 83 corridor in Vernon on Tuesday.

The gas station at Stop & Shop at the K-Mart Plaza has been busier than usual since a gallon of gas hit the $4 mark. It’s common to see lines two or three cars deep at the station throughout the day, waiting to take advantage of the cumulative gas discounts they receive from buying groceries at the supermarket.

Stop & Shop announced an expansion to its fuel rewards program on Thursday. Customers still accrue points by making purchases in the supermarket, but more than 600 Shell gas stations in southern New England and New York have been added to the roll of stations that accept those points and provide fuel discounts.

Tuesday was no exception – and regular unleaded was going for $4.08 per gallon.
Price Chopper at the Tri-City Plaza in Vernon offers similar incentives for Sunoco.

The Sunoco station on Route 83 near the Chopper was selling regular unleaded for $4.16 per gallon on Tuesday. Cumberland Farms, Citgo, 7-Eleven, Valero, and the Dania Food Mart on Route 83 were all selling unleaded regular for $4.09 per gallon on Tuesday.

For Manny Jacques of Broad Brook, the cost of a gallon of gas is enough for him to park his 2006 Honda Accord in the commuter parking lot in Tolland for the day.

“It’s easier, it’s cheaper … pretty soon the price of gas is going to cripple this country,” the 24-year-old construction worker said Tuesday afternoon after getting dropped off at his car by his boss.

A typical workday requires Jacques to travel at least an hour each way from his East Windsor home, most recently to Shelton and Trumbull. Tuesday, it was down Route 32 to Franklin in the southeast area of the state.

“I’d have to fill up a tank and a half each week if I drove,” Jacques said. “Back when I was 16 and it was $1.36. Then it was $2, then $3, I heard it could be $6 by the end of the summer.”

Jacques suggested tapping into some of the known oil fields in this country as a means to alleviate the price and dependency on foreign oil. He also questioned the speculative nature of setting the price at the pump and whether it is the best means of establishing the cost of a barrel of oil.

For the foreseeable future, Jacques said he would continue to carpool with his coworkers to jobs and chip in for gas.

Rep. Joe Courtney will unveil a three-point plan focused on reducing gas prices Thursday in Tolland, which may provide some relief to drivers, businesses and consumers in Connecticut.

Carl Caler, of Windham, commutes to Mansfield for work each day and says that the high gas prices have been hitting his wallet hard. The last time he filled up, he paid $4.16 a gallon in Willimantic.

"I go there for the prices and convenience," Caler said.

Farhad Ali, manager of the Public America gas station at the intersection of Routes 44 and 195 in Storrs was offering the best gas prices in town on Tuesday, $4.19 per gallon, according to gasbuddy.com.

"We follow the market and try to keep it cheaper than our competitors," Ali said. "The majority of our customers are UConn students. Without UConn, we're nothing."

Donna Fournier took a moment to comment on gas prices as she filled up at the Citgo on Windsor Avenue in Windsor.

"You hear the rumors that it's going up to $6 and I was just telling a friend that we're going to have to change the way we go places," Fournier said.

She feels "horrible, not happy" about the current fuel price situation. Fournier bought her car, a fuel-efficient Mazda 3, as a way to combat rising costs.

The Heintz family will only fill up in Ellington, their hometown, if they have to. Otherwise, they wait until they are going to Westfield, MA, to see their son who attends college in the area.

Their son plays collegiate baseball and much of the schedule takes place across the border in Massachusetts, so they have many opportunities to go over the line and get gas. The Heintzs both drive large vehicles, a minivan and a Toyota 4-Runner, so gas is expensive for them and they try to save as much money as possible.

If they are heading to the Bay State, the family will only get enough locally to cross the line before filling their tanks.

Jacklyn Ghergurovich, a spokeswoman for AAA in West Hartford, said the current surge in gas prices can be attributed to the civil unrest in the Middle East and Northern Africa, one of the world’s largest producers of crude oil.

Ghergurovich offered several tips to motorists to conserve and optimize fuel:

• Ensure that your vehicle is running efficiently by sticking to its routine maintenance schedule. Make sure to keep all systems in good operating order to maximize fuel efficiency and extend the life of the vehicle.

• Monitor tire pressure to ensure that tires are inflated to manufacturers’ specifications. Underinflated tires can cut fuel economy by as much as 2 percent per pound of pressure below the recommended level, Ghergurovich said. Underinflated tires are also a safety issue.

• Replace air filters regularly. Clogged air filters can reduce fuel efficiency by 10 percent.

• Check to make sure that your vehicle’s gas cap is sealed properly. Gas caps that are not sealed properly can cause gasoline to dissolve excessively or spill.

• Slow down. Maximum fuel economy is achieved at about 60 miles per hour. For every five miles per hour a car travels over that speed, fuel economy is reduced. Each five-mile-per-hour increase in speed is equivalent to paying an extra 24 cents per gallon, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

• Lighten the load your vehicle carries. A heavier vehicle will need to burn more fuel to travel at the same speed.

Ghergurovich said motorists can also download AAA’s TripTik iPhone application to compare frequently updated fuel costs at nearby gas stations and find locations where gas is cheaper. The TripTik Travel Planner can also be accessed from AAA’s Web site.