As the weather begins to turn colder, for some of us, our minds begin to turn to preparing our heating systems for some vigorous use in the next 6 months. It is particularly important for those in rural areas who have oil fired heating systems.
Oil is the most commonly used off-grid energy source for heating homes, used as a primary source of heat in some 1.5 million UK households. But, as price of crude oil and petrol has been increasing, so has the price of heating oil, making it expensive for householders.
In England, almost 30% people who do not have mains gas live in homes where more than 10% of household income is spent on keeping warm. In addition, Government figures suggest two-thirds of heating oil is used between October and March and that customers can obtain better deals from suppliers outside this time.
According to RSNOnline, rural residents are being encouraged to form buying groups to reduce the cost of heating oil this winter.
A campaign launched by community groups and the government is calling on customers to buy early to avoid running out of fuel during cold weather.
The initiative is a collaboration between DEFRA, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and consumer and countryside groups. The groups include Action with Communities in Rural England, Consumer Focus, Citizen’s Advice and the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers.
A new guide, Best practice for oil buying groups, aims to help consumers decide the best time to buy oil and how setting up a oil buying group can save money. The publication provides practical information to help communities set up and run buying groups to save money by purchasing oil in bulk. It also features case studies from oil buying syndicates and rural community councils in Oxfordshire and Norfolk.
Citizens Advice chief executive Gillian Guy said forecasts of another harsh winter and the soaring cost of heating oil were a double hazard. She added: “We are concerned at the number of people we see who are anxious about staying warm through the freezing winter months.”
A dedicated web portal on the Citizens Advice website includes top tips for consumers and oil club coordinators. It also features a short animation to raise awareness of ways to get the best deal from oil suppliers.
I am aware that there is an oil club that operates in Kingston, and I’m sure that there are others in the area. Increasingly frustrated by the price of oil, a group in Cheshire decided to launch a price comparison site at www.fueltool.co.uk which compares local suppliers in each area to find the best price.
If you know of any other money saving plans for heating oil, please do contact me and I will list it on here, so that we can share the information and hopefully, the savings that can be obtained.
Stay safe this winter, and stay warm.