Just kidding. Seriously though, the last house I had with an oil furnace (Bush was president..not W though) the oil company I used had a budget plan where they set a price in the summer and you paid a fixed amount per month based on usage history. Was cheaper because summer prices were usually lower and the budget plan eliminated those bill generated by 250 gallon buys in the middle of winter.

You may want to start budgeting for a higher efficiency gas furnace. An off brand name (like Ducane) uses less energy and electricity to run than most oil furnaces and are relativly reasonable: $1000 for the furnace, that again for the install. Then you can thumb your nose at Hugo Chavez, at least until your car needs a fill-up.