Rising heating oil prices - should the government do something?

Posted by: Alan Richardson on 8 Jul 2008 at 9:21am

I think the main problem is that gas and oil for heating has been very cheap (compared to solid fuel) certainly since the early 1970's. i have been spending a fortune on solid fuel since then when they were all about the same price per B.T.U. So gas and oil consumers have seen an advantage. now the chickens are coming home to roost.

Posted by: Hilda Williams on 4 Jul 2008 at 8:27pm

heating oil in Wales is now 75 pence a litre, something has to be done before the winters sets in , we see that the MPS have voted for more money, when we will freeze next winter, we have to be more militant and make those people who handle the oil prices get to grips with what is happening to the ordinary person, who for no reason of their own do not have access to mains gas, and who might persih this coming winter, the winter fuel payment has to rise to give us some kind of heating for even a short period maybe Christmas Day, then freeze on Boxing Day. I am incensed by this hike in prices.
H Williams

Posted by: Caroline on 29 Jun 2008 at 4:20pm

We have been in an Oil heated home for 4 years now. Oil started at 17p a Ltr now it is 61.25p a Ltr.

We have no choice but to buy the Oil as we are in Army married quarter and have no say about the type of heating.

Others that rent maybe in the same situation.

It really annoys me that no one wants to get the prices reduced, they simply say, change your boiler.

Well hey if your so RICH you change my boiler for me!!!!

Please don't make stupid comments about spending LOTS of money to move away from this problem, some people DON'T have a choice as they CAN'T afford it. You might have missed the economic inflation happening around us!!!

Posted by: David Roe on 18 Jun 2008 at 6:38pm

The government does need to take action for those who are now in fuel poverty. In the last year our local price has gone up 68p/L from 38p. We moved to a pellet fuelled Biomass boiler last summer, and use solar and a solid fuel Rayburn for DHW. I was reluctant to go solid fuel, as the payback was a least 15 years, but if oil remains at these prices, the payback may be as little as 2 years. Our old oil boiler used 6000L a year for an old , leaky, large farmhouse, but the price of pellets is £170 per tonne, and 2 tonnes=1000L oil, so it has moved from the same cost 12 months ago, to half the price on a cost per kWh basis. We use our own wood, and freebies from a local joinery company that are only too happy to give them away., which reduces the cost further.

One possible answer is to diversify with a multifuel stove for space heating, +- DHW. We are fairly well off, but my heart goes out to those who cannot afford to fill their tanks , and substantial government rebates are a necessity.

Posted by: mike waghorne on 15 Jun 2008 at 9:46pm

In 2002 we paid 18p/litre & I checked the suplier we normaly use a few weeks ago end of may 2008 it was 62p/lt

Posted by: Charles Parker on 13 Jun 2008 at 8:17am

If you dont like the prices then move away from oil.

There are other options available, electric heating boilers, pellet burners, stoves etc. We are due to have our rayburn pulled out next month and moving to a redfyre electric stove. rayburns were only ever about 60% efficient at best so its time they were consigned to the scrapheap!

Take a look at Trianco for electric heating cyclinders, they are only a few hundred pounds so less than a couple of months of oil. Saey Kali for pellet burners £4.5k will run your central heating so pay back is probably about 5-7yrs maybe.

We are fortunate(?) that we are both working, so can save up to replace our infrastructure, though we will probably have a winter without central heating this year as we try to save up to move across.

For those that are retired you might consider releasing capital from your house and just bite the bullet, unfortunately in this world there are no free rides and I doubt the government will do anything constructive to help anybody.

Posted by: Daxia on 13 Jun 2008 at 4:13am

We have recently moved to a house with Oil central heating. In October 2007 when we moved in, I paid 39p per liter for my oil. In February 2008 - only 4 months later, I paid 53.9p per liter - I have today just got a quote for oil, and I've been quoted 59p per liter.

My 1200 liter tank will last for about 9/10 weeks over the winter - and that's just the central heating - our Aga has to remain off and we are further paying for electric heating and cooking.

With 3 small children - the youngest 5 months old, I am increasingly concerned about whether we will be able to use the central heating at all this winter! Someone somewhere has to step in and either severely subsidise the oil, or provide larger grants for everyone who needs to convert to something more affordable! My husband and I both work and earn a reasonable income, but we cannot afford £400 per month on heating fuel! I imagine at Christmas it's gonna be a lot higher than that!

Posted by: Paul Shannon on 11 Jun 2008 at 7:49am

We moved to our cottage in 2006 and a 1000 litres of oil cost us £360. On average this would last us 4 to 5 months. The price of 500 litres last week cost us £420! This is a massive increase and swan oil have recommended we raise our monthly direct debit to £115 to accomodate the price in oil. How is it possible for such a huge rise in heating oil? To add insult to injury we then had to pay the obligitory 17.5% VAT on top! Like most people who have heating oil, no gas mains are close by so we don't have much choice. I would urge the Government to look at the rural communities and take some sort of action to help us before winter sets in!

Posted by: Roger Wilks on 6 Jun 2008 at 12:51pm

The increase in oil prices is one thing but the failure to act by this ineffective government is another. The increases we are experiencing are having a knock on affect to the UK population by increasing everything we purchase, as 95% of all goods are transported by road using deisel lorries.

What then is the true state of inflation? Gorden Brown will probably tell you it has had a minimal affect to the economy at the moment. This has been allowed to happen because of the increased cost to us in petrol and deisel is tax. He also knows that this can be covered up by keeping the main increases in petrol and deisel in the form of a stealth tax being imposed by this government. They could if they wish do something about it .

The picture that this then portrays is that it is the government that is holding the UK population to ransom not the oil companies. The truth of the matter is when Gordon Brown came into office he squandered all the money in government coffers left to him by Kenneth Clarke. He proceeded to borrow heavily and then went to war with Tony Blair getting this country further in to debt and now were paying for it. Oh and by the way Gordon Brown is not even a democratically ellected leader and hardly prudent.

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