If you heat your home with oil, you might still be well advised to lock or cap home heating oil prices for the 2011-12 heating season.  Prices from our recently selected oil company are up $.22 over the last three weeks, exceeding the $.20 per gallon cap premium we paid in only a month since we made our commitment.  According to the Energy Information Agency blog post on Oct. 12, home heating oil prices are headed for a record this heating season.  And that prediction was before the succession of Saudi royalty was disrupted with the death of a West-friendly next in line prince (never mind what's going on in Libya and elsewhere in Africa).

There's a good blog post here on HomeESP which goes into details about how to make a selection of a home heating oil company.  It's definitely worth calling three or four companies to get the best set of prices and cap / lock features for your situation and preferences.