The Great ‘Home Heating’ Hunt: Do you know cheaper ways for LPG and oil

EddyB

This should be good news for other LPG users.

We live in a remote rural location and our tank is refilled by Calor. The price is currently something like 40p per litre.

We have had another LPG company quote us at 31.9p per litre fixed for a minimum period of 6 months, plus a rental of £40.00 PA, installation costs free of charge, and they will credit us with £100.00 of free gas upon installation.

However, we came upon a problem. Rules regarding the siting of LPG tanks have changed. Ours is now regarded as being technically in an unacceptable position. If we switch to the new company it will be obliged to put the new tank in another position . . . and we don't have any other position except in the middle of the front lawn!

But there is a solution! By Spring 2008 it will have become possible for LPG companies to buy each other's tanks and in doing this the tank that they take over does not have to be re-sited according to the new regulations!

So in our case we are stuck with Calor until Spring 2008 when we can make a deal with the alternative company referred to above. Calor have advised that we will still, unfortunately, be required to give them 90 days (3 months) notice!

But at least there is a way forward.

Eddy.

mrwhitty

The main problem with lpg if you have a static bulk tank is that the tank belongs to the supplier and if you change supplier you have to have the old tank taken away by the old supplier and a new one brought from the new supplier and the old supplier will charge you for this. However, I understand there is legislation in the pipeline to alter this, so you can keep the tank and change supplier if you want. However, it hasn't gone through yet, I don't think.

My supplier is Calor and last year I investigated charges of other bulk lpg suppliers (there aren't many). I used this information to fix my lpg price for 3 years and it was a reduction on what I was currently paying. It was around 31p per litre, I think, but I haven't checked my records. I'm hoping I made a good deal!

I hope this helps the discussion.

mrwhitty

I just check and I fixed my price at 31.15 fixed for 12 months thereafter max increase no more than 3 p pl. that was in Sept 2007

mrwhitty

Oh and it was a minimum 2 yr contract. Should have got all my facts together first.

EddyB

Mr. Whitty, thanks!

So Calor is currently only charging at least one of its customers 31.15p per litre, while at the same time charging others 40p or 41p! This is OUTRAGEOUS. I have told Calor we will be leaving and they have refused to negotiate. Perhaps they wait for the actual letter that gives 90 days' notice?

Other Calor LPG users: What can we do to force Calor to lower their prices, so that they charge all their customers the same figure?

beach86

The Home Oil Buyers Association offers a free services which looks at everyone buying oil in your locality and purchases the oil in bulk hence you obtaining a cheaper price - "purchasing power". The more people in your area the cheaper the oil becomes - so pass the word on (if you are on oil most people in your area probably are too!). HOBA then look at a number of different suppliers and chooses the cheapest most competitive supplier. You then pay the supplier directly at the price which HOBA quotes you.

Heating Oil Buyers Association
Call for a free quote: 08702 400 841 (national rate call)
www.oilbuyers.co.uk

ronphi

Has anyone thought of setting up a national or local buying co-operative for those residents in an area wishing to club together to maximise a purchasing discount by offering a guaranteed customer base in a geographical area to a fuel supplier ?
I do not have the time to devote to it but if someone drew up a simple sheet which could be adapted for any local area,and could be distributed so all those interested could indicate interest in the scheme ?

better still

Moneysaving expert has millions of loyal users,
can the site draw up a fuel co-operative by region / post code and put this potential customer consumption out to tender for discount from suppliers ?:T

K271

We are in a rural area with no mains gas available. ( British Gas told us it would cost around $45,000.00 to connect to the mains supply.) We rent a tank and are therefore tied to the supplier for our LPG, we could possibly buy the tank and then we could shop around for LPG but the cost of the tank is high, so unless we are staying here for a long time it doesn't seem cost effective. I know some farmers who have their own tanks and get LPG much cheaper in larger quantities than household usage ... they use it for heating in grain stores and chicken houses etc (swimming pools too!) although not many have swimming pools, I know one that does.
I would be very interested in finding ways to cut costs.

K271

Sorry British Gas wanted GB Pounds not US dollars before someone notices and corrects me!

harcombe

We have oil and to make things easier (so i thought) as we are on a tight budget we stuck to one supplier and pay by DD. Unfortunately for us oil has more than doubled and I cant afford the £130pm that they want DD so am only paying £80pm to clear our oil usage over past 12 months. Our oil usage over last 12 months has been £1400 and the oil company has said that we cannot order any more oil until we have cleared the debt in full and that they will pass our details onto other local suppliers so we cant set up accounts with them either (we have never missed a payment). At moment our 1300l tank is half full and we arent using that much so i am hoping that the oil we have will last us until Jan when the debt will be paid off. Our house is as insulated as it can be and we have an open fire which we use in winter but we do use a lot of oil to heat our house as one of our children suffers from heart problems and struggles to stay warm, the oil company have been told this but dont really care and its really annoying that their attitude with regards to people like me struggling financially to heat their homes differs so greatly from the attitude i have experienced from my electric and water supplier (who have been fab and put me on social tarriffs). The reality is we will probably only be able to afford to fill our tank once in the coming 12mths and that will have to last us all year. Its a shame that these oil companies arent regulated or offer social tarriffs in the same way that all other utilities are.
Apologies for my rant.