Heating Oil Costs Burden Rural Households
A woman relying on heating oil to warm her rural home has called for increased assistance for those without access to a gas network to transition to more environmentally friendly energy sources.
Jemma McCarron resides in a barn conversion in Hanley Swan, Worcestershire. She reported that the price of heating oil has doubled recently, raising concerns about financial strain in the coming months.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has described the situation as "price gouging" in the market, accusing some heating oil suppliers of exploiting the Middle East crisis as "an opportunity to rip off consumers." She plans to meet with Members of Parliament on Wednesday to discuss challenges faced by consumers who are not protected by the energy price cap.
McCarron lives with her husband, their 18-year-old daughter, and her mother, who is in her 70s.
Without a gas supply, heating oil has been an "essential component" for heating the home and water.
She last purchased enough oil to fill her 2,000-litre tank in mid-February at a cost of £1,200 but now expresses concern about future expenses.
Calls for Greater Support for Green Energy Transition
McCarron told BBC Hereford and Worcester:
"The only thing that we can do to protect ourselves against these kinds of dramatic changes in oil prices is to become less dependent on oil and move towards environmentally-friendly sources of energy.
I've been quite disappointed with the lack of support for people who want to make those changes, we've looked into heat sourcing, ground source pumps, air source pumps and solar panels and there is a little bit of support but it's very minimal."
The global oil price reached nearly $120 (£89) per barrel on Monday, marking a four-year high, although it has since declined. This increase was driven by concerns over a prolonged disruption in supply due to the ongoing war.
Unlike gas and electricity bills, which benefit from regulator Ofgem's price cap, there is no such cap limiting heating oil costs.
McCarron added:
"You have to always have a contingency fund but we wouldn't have expected it to go up that quickly. It will mean having to make budgetary choices elsewhere and will have a noticeable impact on our finances.
We'll have to be mindful that in September we may be looking at having to spend twice as much to fill the tank up because I don't see the prices coming down in a sustained way."
Political Response to Heating Oil Price Surge
Speaking in the House of Commons, Ellie Chowns, the Green MP for North Herefordshire, criticized suppliers for profiting amid the uncertainty.
She stated to MPs:
"The last time energy prices went through the roof due to illegal international aggression in 2022, normal people paid the price while huge energy giants raked in billions of pounds in windfall profit."
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