The average gas price for regular gas in Batavia went up less than a cent today compared to the previous week, but around the state, the average increased 3 cents from a weeek ago, AAA said.
Batavia’s average remained at $3.31 per gallon.
AAA Director of Public Relations and Corporate Communications Elizabeth Carey said it’s important to note that some counties, like Erie County, still have a county tax cap in place for gasoline.
“As for Batavia prices, it’s always hard to predict what the future price of gas will be since it depends on so many factors including taxes, oil prices, demand, and supply,” she said. “Right now, Batavia gas prices are at an average of $3.31, and they haven’t changed over the past week. However, prices are down from a month ago when the average price was $3.52. We did have some AAA members comment that gas prices at Exit 48A Pembroke are very low — they are likely driven down by cheaper gas prices from the Tonawanda Reservation which affects the overall price for Genesee County.
Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $3.27, up 4 cents since last Tuesday. One year ago, the price was $3.30. The New York state average is $3.45, up 3 cents since last Tuesday. A year ago, the state average was $3.48.
“Those increases are likely due to the gas tax cap ending,” said Carey.
“What likely happened is that the taxes are now added back in, but at the same time gas prices have dropped due to lower oil prices and overall lower demand for winter driving,” Carey said. “AAA expected to see prices go up right away the first of the year because the state required gas stations to return to the regular tax rate.“
AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reported the following averages today:
In Buffalo, the average is $3.41, down 3 cents from last Tuesday. In Rochester, the average price is $3.475, down less than a cent from last Tuesday.
According to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand is on the rise amid milder weather. However, the current rate is lower than a year ago, AAA noted. Meanwhile, total domestic gasoline stocks fell. Tighter supply and higher gasoline demand are pushing pump prices higher. If demand remains robust and stocks remain tight, drivers could continue to see pump prices increase.
Diesel fuel prices moved down slightly with the national average at $4.64, down 4 cents from last Tuesday, and up from $3.59 one year ago. The New York average for diesel is $5.325, down about half a cent from last Tuesday and up from $3.73 one year ago.
To conserve fuel, AAA says, drivers should map routes, avoid peak traffic times like rush hour, and combine errands into one trip while using cruise control when possible. Drivers should also make sure tire pressure is at the vehicle’s recommended level for the best gas mileage while removing any unnecessary and bulky items from the car since it takes more fuel to accelerate a heavy vehicle. Get more tips here: https://gasprices.aaa.com/news/fuel-saving-tips/.
“If oil prices remain low, and winter demand remains sluggish overall, prices are likely to stay at the current level or possibly drop as the cold weather continues. Gas prices will likely increase in the spring when refineries switch over to summer blend fuel and when demand will go up,” Carey said.
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