Rising costs of home heating oil
In response to our map asking what's hurting you most about the credit crunch, we've received a number emails from listeners on the huge price increases of domestic oil.
Around 1.5 million household use home heating oil in the UK. They generally live in rural areas, off the gas main, leaving them at the mercy of global oil prices.
A year ago domestic oil cost 33p per litre, today it costs 55p per litre. The average oil tank costs £1000 to fill, most people fill up their tank 2-3 times a year, leading to a bill far in excess of their gas-paying counterparts.
Also, there isn't an equivalent body to monitor suppliers and help protect consumers.
This chart on the website, a UK domestic oil supplier, is plotting the rise of home heating oil prices. They say their average order has dropped from 1000 litres to 500 litres in the last few months as people struggle to pay their bills.
So far -
- we've arranged for a reporter to meet one of the listeners who emailed iPM about his situation.
- we've been ringing round energy analysts and consultants to explain why the price has jumped more substantially than petrol/diesel over the same time period.
- we're looking for MPs who're concerned about their constituents and fuel poverty.
Is there someone in particular you'd like to hear from on this? All ideas/comments welcome.
UPDATE: When we first looked at this, there didn't appear to be any alternatives for people not on the main gas network, but to heat their homes with oil.
Then we found out about Chris Leek's not-for-profit company. He runs , who work in areas considered to be in fuel poverty in Yorkshire and the North East. They try to connect people to mains gas or find ways to reduce their bills through renewable energy.
This is an extended interview of the one we broadcast on Saturday's iPM.
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