Millions Facing Fuel Rationing Over Christmas As Heating Oil Runs Low

[Flatdog]

Many on here question media motives. I think that this is a perfect example of how they operate:

Yesterday the BBC was off on one related to the absurd and unregulated increase in the price of heating oil...profiteering et al, need an enquiry, usual nonsense.

Today it is spouting off about shortages and the possibility of 'rationing'.

Net result..be thankful that you actually have a tank full of crazily overpriced heating oil, and don't grumble.

[DungBeetle]

A load of tosh. Plenty of Heating Oil available here.

[Democorruptcy]

I thought it was common sense to fill the tank when you didn't need it desperately..

Nice.

You think anyone who didn't buy before now is an idiot and profiteering is completely acceptable.

Can you show me one other year the price went up 50% in a fortnight?

As to these idiots who didn't pre-buy, iIt's never crossed your mind that someone may have moved from a house with gas to an house with oil recently? Perhaps someone unemployed and short of cash to buy oil they didn't need in the summer have just got back into work and their finances have improved.

[Guest spp]

Did the BP oil spill cut off the warm Atlantic Gulf stream!?

Quite unusual to get such a cold blast (Ireland/Wales) from the Atlantic

[SarahBell]

Nice.

You think anyone who didn't buy before now is an idiot and profiteering is completely acceptable.

Can you show me one other year the price went up 50% in a fortnight?

As to these idiots who didn't pre-buy, iIt's never crossed your mind that someone may have moved from a house with gas to an house with oil recently? Perhaps someone unemployed and short of cash to buy oil they didn't need in the summer have just got back into work and their finances have improved.

It's always dearer in winter ...

Last year a friend struggled to get a delivery in the snow

People lack of money management never ceases suprising me.

It always costs more to heat the house in winter. If it keeps coming as a shock to you then I could make a few suggestions.

[Flatdog]

Nice.

You think anyone who didn't buy before now is an idiot and profiteering is completely acceptable.

Can you show me one other year the price went up 50% in a fortnight?

As to these idiots who didn't pre-buy, iIt's never crossed your mind that someone may have moved from a house with gas to an house with oil recently? Perhaps someone unemployed and short of cash to buy oil they didn't need in the summer have just got back into work and their finances have improved.

Don't forget that many may well have had sufficient oil for a normal December/January..dial in the big freeze and, well, things change.

[Democorruptcy]

It's always dearer in winter ...

Last year a friend struggled to get a delivery in the snow

People lack of money management never ceases suprising me.

It always costs more to heat the house in winter. If it keeps coming as a shock to you then I could make a few suggestions.

How dearer was it this time 2008 when oil dropped to $30 a barrel from $150 in summer?

[winkie]

A load of tosh. Plenty of Heating Oil available here.

Quite....they try to justify the increase by promoting a shortage....why would petrol increase or anything else for that matter only because they know people will pay for it...and if people think it is short supply they will pay even more.

Someone is making form all this and it is not the consumer...expect more of the same.

[Democorruptcy]

I've absolutely crushed that Sarah Bell character with her it's always more expensive in winter with my reminder about 2008. It was a belly-punch followed by an uppercut in forum terms.

In 2008 it was over 70p a litre late summer and I paid 31p in winter.

A recent 50% price increase and the OFT has just said IF it finds any evidence of profiteering it will investigate. OFT = Office of Financial Theft (from the public).

[RufflesTheGuineaPig]

On a related note, does anyone know how UK natural gas storage is looking? Given the early onset of serious winter weather, it can't be looking too pretty..

It's not looking good.

U.K. Natural Gas – An Early December 2010 Status Report

This what you are looking for: http://marketinformation.natgrid.co.uk/gas/frmPrevalingView.aspx

So, the lights will go out sometime in Feb..

Looks like the energy policy of crossing fingers and hoping for mild winters wasn't the best. Who could have guessed?

Problems should become apparent in late January.

We were rescued last winter when, just as things got scarey, a big new LNG degassification operation came on-stream. The problem is bad weather (wind/swell) means they can't offload. LNG stocks at the start of December were 8500. Yesterday morning they were 3000.

If supplies run low they will start shutting factories. Christmas may work in our favour on this as many factories are shut, but we may see those shutdowns extended.

In a worst case scenario we would see rolling blackouts as gas-fired power stations are forced to shut down. (Disconnecting residential customers is impractical due to the logistics of re-priming the network.) This is good to see the status of the leccy: http://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/Electricity/Data/Realtime/

[Guest spp]

Debasement of fiat currencies = Inflation of things of any 'real' worth.

Those of you that keep debunking Silver never will get it.

But you can't heat your home with it...best buy 20 years of oil reserves then hey?

[winkie]

Debasement of fiat currencies = Inflation of things of any 'real' worth.

Those of you that keep debunking Silver never will get it.

But you can't heat your home with it...best buy 20 years of oil reserves then hey?

I hear they are selling some woods off cheap.

[MrPin]

If a bird shits on your head, do you think there will be a shampoo shortage?

[Harry Monk]

It's cheaper to buy heating oil in June than in December but that just gives the pikeys six more months to steal it.

[Sour Mash]

Don't forget that many may well have had sufficient oil for a normal December/January..dial in the big freeze and, well, things change.

That's pretty much why I ended up buying the other day.

I originally had enough to get me through to Feb on normal usage patterns but the last big freezeup a few weeks back plus a fair bit of earlier than usual cold weather left me with the conclusion that I'd have to be watching it carefully over this second freezing spell in order to get me safely into Jan ... Didn't feel like doing that so got a big order delivered just before the snow hit. I'll just be hitting the burner any time I feel remotely cold, it's only money.

Wasn't as bad as some of the prices the BBC quote though - 66ppl - and no shortage as far as I could see. Getting it delivered now could be tricky as many roads are now treacherous, especially the small streets in the city. However, given the general trend of debasing the currency and lack of compensatory pay rises, it's going to get harder and harder for most to afford to heat as much as they'd like.

[SarahBell]

I've absolutely crushed that Sarah Bell character with her it's always more expensive in winter with my reminder about 2008. It was a belly-punch followed by an uppercut in forum terms.

In 2008 it was over 70p a litre late summer and I paid 31p in winter.

A recent 50% price increase and the OFT has just said IF it finds any evidence of profiteering it will investigate. OFT = Office of Financial Theft (from the public).

so it was cheaper one year .... One tear out of how many?

[Kurt Barlow]

It's cheaper to buy heating oil in June than in December but that just gives the pikeys six more months to steal it.

How very dare you Mr. Monk.

Travellers are peaceful country folk who travel the Country singing to others like the Bards of Old - modern day Alan -a Dales no less!

You should listen to Cambridgeshire - Rokka Radio to learn the truth about travellers - not your prejudiced misconceptions

[Democorruptcy]

so it was cheaper one year .... One tear out of how many?

You said always.

I do expect oil to get more expensive in winter that's obvious. However you seem to be missing the point - it's just gone up 50% which is way above normal and profiteering. As I said before tell me another year that it went up 50% in a fortnight?

[Democorruptcy]

No disrespect, but do you have any understanding of the heating oil market?

The reason the price has rocketed is because demand has shot up way, way above the normal seasonal average for the time of year. This hasn't happened because a few people have moved houses or some unemployed people have got back into work.

It's happened because a substantial group of the oil burning British, are too dense to plan more than two weeks ahead.

No disrespect but try spectacles. I didn't say the price had gone up because people had moved house or gone back to work. Sarah Bell was implying everyone who had not already bought it was an idiot. I was merely saying those circumstances could be why some people may not have had the foresight to buy earlier on when it was cheaper. I was not implying that had driven the price up. What has driven the price up is profiteering.

[jammo]

Here you go again, slagging of a different generation from your own. Who are you, David Willets? Please explain how boomers have escalated the cost of insurance for young people.

...but I agree with the rest of your sentiment. Particularly at fault are women who feel they must have a 2-tonne cross-country behemoth to "protect their children" on what should be a short walk to school, and won't even pull onto the verge to allow others in more modest cars to pass on a single-track road (my personal gripe of the day).

You can actually thank Gordon Brown when your children never leave the nest (HPI) and can't even afford to run a car (No Win No Fee parasite boom). Children get to finally leave the nest at a ripe old age these days It, like most bad things, has Brown fingerprints all over it.

[Harry Monk]

What bit of capitalism do you not understand?

Local oil companies around my way now have 4 weeks backlog of orders. What is any sane business going to do to try and balance their ability to supply the stuff with demand?

They're going to raise their prices. You might call it profiteering. I'd call it basic capitalism.

Yes, but if we lived in a true capitalist society then ever more houses would be built until demand and supply matched and we reached equilibrium. There is a 20-year backlog for houses.

[stormymonday_2011]

What bit of capitalism do you not understand?

.

I got confused by the bit where I have to endllessly bailout the banks with my taxes.

BTW having read Anthony Sampson's the Seven Sisters many years ago I rather doubt there has ever been a true free market in oil products

Edited December 17, 2010 by realcrookswearsuits

[Caribbean Beauty]

We live in a rural Norfolk cottage with oil heating and started this winter on 3/4 of a tank, stupidly assuming that we would make it through even with a cold few weeks. A neighbour got oil in mid November for low 40s p per litre and I did not bother to top up our 1200 litre tank.

Then this ice hell hit last month and to keep warm our heating started drinking oil like water (!) and the level indicator was moving down the tank an inch each day. I was about to order more a couple of weeks back when the outrageous price gouging of the heating oil companies surfaced its ugly head. So I did some sums, probably very badly but with a grim determination not to be held hostage, and went out yesterday and spent 120 quid on several small electric heaters and timers.

Turning off the heating yesterday was a good feeling, knowing that half a tank of oil will be plenty until spring or summer is we use it only for the hot water side. I estimated that at current prices of around 70-80p per litre for heating oil (assuming we could even get some with the snow and demand backlogs) to heat the house with oil would cost approximately 6-8 pounds per day, even with conservative use - although with small kids at home in school hols, conservative use is harder.

Using all the electric heaters in daytime only set for half maximum temps, I calculated that our total costs would be lower, around £4-5 per day. That is still very dear, but at least we now have electric heaters for long term backup and will definitely be able to wait until normal prices resume in summer to fill the tank.

Let us hope for a change in the law - luckily this crisis has hit lots of posh toffs with rural 2nd/holiday homes or country piles and country constituents, hence the MPs amongst them will be sure to lay down some legislation to regulate the evil swine heating oil companies, which are at present running out of control. But I do feel for those who cannot afford to heat their homes at all based on current rates.

[corevalue]

We live in a rural Norfolk cottage with oil heating and started this winter on 3/4 of a tank, stupidly assuming that we would make it through even with a cold few weeks. A neighbour got oil in mid November for low 40s p per litre and I did not bother to top up our 1200 litre tank.

Then this ice hell hit last month and to keep warm our heating started drinking oil like water (!) and the level indicator was moving down the tank an inch each day. I was about to order more a couple of weeks back when the outrageous price gouging of the heating oil companies surfaced its ugly head. So I did some sums, probably very badly but with a grim determination not to be held hostage, and went out yesterday and spent 120 quid on several small electric heaters and timers.

Turning off the heating yesterday was a good feeling, knowing that half a tank of oil will be plenty until spring or summer is we use it only for the hot water side. I estimated that at current prices of around 70-80p per litre for heating oil (assuming we could even get some with the snow and demand backlogs) to heat the house with oil would cost approximately 6-8 pounds per day, even with conservative use - although with small kids at home in school hols, conservative use is harder.

Using all the electric heaters in daytime only set for half maximum temps, I calculated that our total costs would be lower, around £4-5 per day. That is still very dear, but at least we now have electric heaters for long term backup and will definitely be able to wait until normal prices resume in summer to fill the tank.

Let us hope for a change in the law - luckily this crisis has hit lots of posh toffs with rural 2nd/holiday homes or country piles and country constituents, hence the MPs amongst them will be sure to lay down some legislation to regulate the evil swine heating oil companies, which are at present running out of control. But I do feel for those who cannot afford to heat their homes at all based on current rates.

Same as me Carib. We have a 1200L tank filled in September, would normally have got us through to the end of January. Better hope the leccy stays on then.....

[RapMan]

TBH, I would have thought that anybody who waits until December before realising that their heating fuel tank needs filling up, is an idiot

tim

Often people in small villages and hamlets bulk order between themselves to reduce the cost - it's not always easy to be in the right position at the right time. That said, when I had my last order delivered 4 weeks ago I was told then that they were expecting a supply problem so either they expected a real supply problem or are fabricating one to maintain higher prices.

Edited December 18, 2010 by RapMan