Rising heating oil prices - should the government do something?

Posted by: michelle on 16 May 2008 at 9:38am

Action needs to be taken, I am a single mum to two girls and am on benefit...during the winter i have had to fill my tank with 500 litres every 6 weeks which was based on around 52p per litre, i now need to order another 500 litres and rang for a quote only to find that the price per litre has now risen to 63p per litre. I couldnt afford it before and use to have to borrow the money, however now i am in a situation where by i am not going to be able to fill the tank with the minimum order allowed (500 litres) and the children will have to wrap up warm on the cold evenings and i will boil water for washing with...Its disgraceful

Posted by: Tim Adams on 16 May 2008 at 8:20am

This is my email to my MP, County and District Councillors. Please send something similar to yours!

As you will be well aware the price of heating oil has virtually doubled in the past 12 months (from around 32p to the current 60p)
http://www.boilerjuice.com/priceHistory.php

This is an absolute killer for many, many villages in rural areas.

The government needs to help. This probably requires a 2 prong strategy for short and long term. We have been fortunate with mild winters in the past but we cannot rely on that. At present prices we will have deaths in homes due to the cost of oil.

1. Short term: Reduce and/or remove VAT from heating oil
2. Short term: Press the oil companies to help
3. Long term: The gas pipeline network needs the investment to reach many more villages nationwide.
a. This needs a long term investment plan over many years but needs to massively increase NOW
b. Government, gas distribution companies, gas pipeline companies etc must all participate.

Please advise what is being done by the Government and District/ County councils to help press the case?

Posted by: Bob on 15 May 2008 at 6:19pm

We ran our boiler at min setting for LONGER this year, We turned rads off in rooms that were not used, the net result was that the rooms that were used were warmer for longer. When we had guests we turned the boiler up and turned on more rads. We used considerably less oil than the year before which was a warmer winter. This is not ideal but I am afraid it`s back to the old days pre central heating.

Posted by: Chris B on 13 May 2008 at 6:01pm

Brian Richards (April 28) is correct, global oil production is peaking hence near 10 fold increase in crude price since 1999. At the same time rapid demand growth in India, China etc continues; China is adding 20,000 vehicles per day to their roads. If the extra fuel cannot come from the ground it must come from reductions elsewhere, including us. Put another way we are now very close to a situation where we will have to use between 2% and 5% less oil each year...and that trend will continue for the rest of our lives. Prices a whole magnitude higher lie ahead - for many oil will become too expensive to burn.

Right now around 1.5 million of us in rural areas without mains gas are being heavily penalised simply due to where we live; removing the 5% VAT will in no way fix the differential vs gas consumers. I'm in the process of writing to my MP (and MSP) to propose the 5% VAT is increased very slightly and the proceeds used to equate the price of heating oil for rural dwellers without mains gas to a gas-equivalent tariff i.e. making the 2 fuels cost the same per given amount of heat in calories or joules. This special price would only apply to those without access to mains gas; those with mains gas who choose to use heating oil will continue to pay the full market price.

It's my view (and that of many energy experts such as Matt Simmons and Richard Heinberg) that we face oil costs of well over $200/bbl, and soon. The impact would be to more or less double heating oil costs again to £1 to £1.20/litre. We urgently need a Gov't tariff moderation scheme in place, as suggested above, before prices reach this level.

Posted by: Mick Green on 9 May 2008 at 6:29pm

3rd Blog.
I have read most of the 68 blogs and there is a common link with a few, several other contributors have also written to their MPs, lets make a list of those MPs who don't seem to want to help. From the letter I received from my MP, Mr Richard Bacon (Con), all he did was agree that it was expensive, even though he isn't in the Labour Party he can still stand up and make our views known, we can't wait for an election to get something done. Lets name and shame those who should be trying to help. Most MPs have websites, you can find the contact details there. Please every one write to your MPs, get them to help.

Posted by: Oanh Ho on 8 May 2008 at 3:34pm

I agree. The Government should do something to help us who have suffered the rising heating oil prices. Especially, in my area doesn't have gas services, I have no choice!!!

Posted by: Mick Green on 6 May 2008 at 12:50pm

2nd Blog.
The reason I'm so angry is between 18/2/08 and two months later 18/4/08, the price of oil increased by 34%. Coal is dirty and expensive, no gas in village, electric storage heaters.... I don't want to heat the things only to find the next day is warm, oil is the only real option. I know alcohol, cigarettes and many more non essentials are already taxed highly but they are non essentials, people won't die without them, increase the tax on them. Double the tax on aviation fuel, put road tax in with the fuel,so every body pay the tax. Stop pretending we still rule the world, stop fighting every body else's battles. we are rapidly becoming a third world country. £1000000 for a missile just to kill people or £1000000 to keep 1000 families warm for a year. Where is the sense?

Posted by: Wayne on 6 May 2008 at 12:43pm

OK, so the domestic heating oil market may not be the biggest use of oil, and probably no one would give a hoot if we stopped using it..but..
Prices of most things tend to vary with Supply and Demand so my feeling is that if we all refused to buy oil at these daft prices, (regardless of wether we can "afford it" or not) the price might fall, no?...worth a shot.. isn't it?

Call me Scroog if you like but I've switched off the oil boiler and am now using the immersion heater plus room fan heaters as required, is this the ideal solution?..no, but we have to put up with some inconvienience if we are to make a stand!

I've been using the fan heaters + immersion for hot water for the past 6 weeks and can tell you that it is costing a fraction of what the oil would be at current prices.

So my suggestion is...put your thermals on, DON'T but any more oil for the tank....and see if it makes a difference maybe it WONT....but at least you've done "something"

Posted by: Paul Green on 5 May 2008 at 2:23pm

The Government should at the very least cut the 5% VAT on heating oil, (they are making every time it goes up) but keep very quiet about it! It is not just the elderly who are needy, we could all do with some help! I notice this site has submitted a petition, well done! but considerably more HAS to be done.

Posted by: Ken Thomas on 3 May 2008 at 6:19pm

I heard the comments about the increasing domestic oil price on the BBC4 programme this afternoon and then went on line and eventually found this Boilerjuice site. I'm sorry the petition is now closed. I am a 'classic case' of a pensioner stuck with oil using because my village in South East England has no gas. I previously filled my 1000lt tank each time but I have had to reduce my order to the minimum 500lt because of the cost. My watchman is down to 4, but I have now switched the heating off, but will try and fill it again in the next week or so as the price will probably be higher again by the autumn. It IS a very serious problem so that we must keep on telling the Govt to cut that duty.