Survey finds North Devon residents are running out of heating oil as prices soar

People buying heating oil and LPG fuel in North Devon are already paying up to 150% more than normal, a survey launched by the Ian Roome MP has found.

In response to surging heating oil and LPG (gas) prices because of the Iran conflict, Mr Roome started the survey yesterday (Thursday, March 12) to find out how badly it was affecting ‘off-grid’ households locally.

In little more than a day it has already had 140 responses from some of North Devon’s 14,000 off-grid fuel households, with a third of those saying they were being quoted fuel prices 100 to 150% higher than usual – and some even reported 200% increases.

Due to North Devon’s far-flung geography and remote communities, almost 30% of local households are not connected to mains gas and rely on deliveries of heating oil and LPG.

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Now there are fears fuel could run into shortages as more households compete for limited deliveries.

The survey results showed that fuel reserves of many of those who responded were low. More than four in 10 (44%) had less than a quarter of a tank remaining and more than three quarters (80%) had less than half a tank.

Almost half (45%) of those surveyed had attempted to place a new order in recent weeks, but only half were successful.

One resident told the MP before America and Israel attacked Iran he was paying approximately 58p per litre for kerosene heating oil, but is now being quoted around £1.49 per litre.

Another constituent wrote: ‘We have to have oil but these rises mean we have to take on more debt. For some time now, we have been unable to fill our oil tank, ordering the bare minimum. Thus, we are already at the stage of having to make choices about heating any rooms and/or our water’.

Nationally the Liberal Democrats are calling for some form of price cap for those who rely on heating oil, to protect residents from the astronomic price rises and say the Government should urgently draw up a system to shield off-grid households.

Mr Roome condemned the Government for failing to put anything in place to protect rural communities such as North Devon where so many rely on fuel deliveries.

He said: “Ministers were asking a room full of MPs from the most rural parts of the country for direct evidence, so I’ll be sharing these survey figures with the energy minister as well as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), as they show the scale of the issue in North Devon and the need for immediate support for rural areas.

“If more than four in 10 have less than a quarter of a tank in reserve and more than three quarters with less than half, it shows that this isn't the end of the crisis and pressure on local supply will build.

“The government says there is no overall shortage of heating oil, but immense pressure on price and deliverability. Bills have skyrocketed in the past week and I’ve heard from many alarmed local residents, which is why the government must urgently put forward some form of price cap and an immediate three-month zero-rating for VAT on heating oil for residential homes to shield them from these dramatic price spikes.”

If you are affected by the high oil and LPG prices, you can complete the survey here: North Devon Off Grid Fuel Survey - Ian Roome MP