Dec 22, 2014 2 min read

PITTSBURGH – Western Pennsylvania gas prices fell eight cents this week to $2.718 a gallon, according to the latest AAA East Central’s Fuel Gauge report.

AAA said this week’s average price was eight cents lower than the average $2.801 for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from the survey it took for the week of Dec. 15. The latest average is 68.7 cents lower than the $3.405 average price per gallon recorded a year ago.

Of the 22 Western Pennsylvania towns and cities included in AAA’s weekly survey, Washington had an average price of $2.703 per gallon. Brookville was the lowest at $2.543, followed by Erie at $2.609.

The report said the steady decline in gas prices is now longer than any period AAA previously tracked and the national average price of gas is the longest consecutive streak on record.

“Gas prices have fallen every day since Sept. 25 to today’s average, which is the lowest national average price per gallon since May 2009,” the association said in its press release, noting that the decline in gas prices broke the previous record set in 2008 during the height of the Great Recession.

The best news for consumers is that the decline in the price at the pump has accelerated during the previous week.

“Barring any disruptions in domestic production or unexpected spikes in the global price of crude, consumers could see prices drop another 10-15 cents per gallon to ring in the New Year,” AAA said.