Jeremy Hawksley addressing over 70 fuel oil distributors on the subject of Oilsave and the fight for oil heating at the Fuel Oil News Distributor Debate in the West Midlands earlier this month.
The price difference between oil and gas has narrowed significantly. Three years ago oil was nearly 60% more expensive than mains gas but now it is just over 12% more expensive, based on using a condensing boiler.
Around 68% of households in Northern Ireland use oil. A recent ComRes Energy Study found that 63% of consumers are concerned about how they are going to pay heating bills this year.
In a bid to help Great Britain’s one million oil-fired households save money and become more fuel efficient, OFTEC and the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (FPS) have launched a new look Oilsave website offering impartial information and advice to help people get the best from their oil heating systems.
A survey* conducted by Ipsos Mori for the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), shows that ‘an alarmingly low proportion’ of people plan to take any action to make their homes more energy efficient during 2014.
OFTEC chairman Martyn Bridges, centre, with other members, supporting the Energy Bill Revolution to end fuel poverty in the UK
To help raise awareness of the 20% of UK households living in fuel poverty and the need to make the country’s homes more energy efficient, OFTEC backed this month’s Cold Homes Week.
Martin Lake, commercial director, Graham, Steve Lister, sales and marketing director, Worcester and Dan Williams, procurement manager, Graham
Worcester, Bosch Group, was named Supplier of the Year by plumbers’ merchant, Graham.
With a poor response to the government’s Green Deal, OFTEC has written to secretary of state for energy, Ed Davey, to propose the introduction of a boiler scrappage scheme to encourage more people to make the switch to high efficiency condensing boilers.