We’ve touched on this sensitive issue before, but with hundreds or even £1000 worth of fuel sitting in your tank just waiting for some scumbag to pump it out, have you ever been the victim of heating oil theft? And if so, what measures have you taken to prevent it from happening again?

Last time we posted up this blog we had a massive 81 replies with some unusual and controversial suggestions, not all of which we would recommend you follow. For example, we definitely wouldn’t recommend you invest in a shotgun, cut off thieves’ hands or cover your walls with razor blades (all of which could land you in deep water)!

But there’s no escaping the fact that oil theft is rife. One customer admitted to having had two oil thefts in as many months.

Our favourite anti-theft suggestion is always going to be to recommend you install an inexpensive tank lock like the one on our security page.

You could also do, like some of our customers suggest, and install a Watchman Sonic remote wireless device in your home which warns you if your fuel level goes down. Or an alarm on your tank. One customer caught a policeman wandering around. Good to know the local neighbourhood bobby is still well and truly on the beat.

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It’s a bit like calling in the chimney sweep or getting that leaking gutter fixed – you know it needs doing at some point before the winter; it’s just a case of getting round to it.

But getting your central heating boiler serviced isn’t just about ticking yet another irritating job off your “to do” list. It can actually save you money. And let’s face it anything that saves you money has to be Good News in this day and age.

And we’re not just saying this because we’d like you to book a boiler service from one of our engineers, although we’d be delighted if you did!

Regularly serviced boilers operate more efficiently and therefore use less oil. In fact an inefficient boiler could be costing you ££££s more to run. And all boilers should be serviced at least annually.

Also, it’s far easier to arrange a boiler service now, during the summer months, than in the Autumn when everyone suddenly remembers they need their boiler servicing too.

So why not ask for a no-obligation quote from one of our Oftec registered engineers. You can do this easily via our website. And from only £65, it could be worth every penny!

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Help!!! After years of piped gas or electricity you’ve moved house – and suddenly you’re faced with an oil tank at the bottom of the garden and a mountain of questions to go with it! (more…)

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Baking, frying, grilling, toasting, stewing, steaming, roasting, simmering or stir-frying – what do you use your oil-fired Aga or Rayburn for most in the summer? Maybe you’ve an unconventional summer use for your Aga or Rayburn which will make our other readers smile. Or maybe you hate your Aga and just can’t get the hang of it!

Why not share your favourite summer recipes or tips with us below? All we ask is that, for copyright reasons, any Aga or Rayburn recipes are your own i.e. they aren’t copied from a book, website, etc. An ideal opportunity to dip into Granny’s old Aga or Rayburn cookbook, maybe…

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When do you usually stock up on heating oil? Autumn? Before Christmas? Or at some other time of year? We’re sure our other customers would be interested to compare notes! (more…)

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Gas and electricity suppliers do something similar; phone providers do it and now BoilerJuice could be doing it too… if you’d like us to.

Basically, the plan would be for you to pay for your heating oil on a monthly payment basis so you build up a ‘bank’ of savings to go towards each heating oil purchase. (more…)

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Energy bills can be a burden when you’re earning a salary, let alone when you’re living on a pension. But not all pensions are the same. Take the £28 million pay-and-pension package recently awarded to one of the gas industry’s ‘fat cats’, for instance. Although at 56 this particular gentleman is not yet eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment, in four years time he will be.

The point is… should he (and all the other ‘fat cats’ out there) receive the same Winter Fuel Payment as my elderly neighbour who survives on a weekly state pension of just £97.6 and who struggles to pay his electricity and heating oil bills?

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I have my central heating on first thing in the morning and in the evening to keep costs down. But my friend says it is cheaper to have it on all the time. What do you think?

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As the winter fast approaches us the central heating will be going back on in numerous households throughout the UK.  But let’s have a look at some of the more crazy ways that people try to heat up their homes every winter.

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Having just moved to Norfolk, for the first time in my life I do not have gas and have become a heating oil virgin! The shock of having to pay for my oil before I use it; the distinctive smell of oil, the plume of steam coming out the side of my house; all of these things are new to me. And all of this during the coldest winter for years.
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