Roslynn Garner-Gatley, a 76-year-old from south Devon, said she is frightened to put her heating on because the cost of domestic oil has nearly doubled in recent months. Living in a three-bedroom cottage with no gas supply, she relies entirely on oil for heating and hot water. Six months ago she paid £317 plus VAT for 500 litres of oil, but when she sought a current quote for the same amount, her supplier told her the cost would be £600 plus VAT.
According to the Minister for Energy Consumers Polly Billington, heating fuel costs have risen by up to 82% since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran. Garner-Gatley said she did not expect to reach her age after working for 50 years to find herself "terrified of putting on the heating because of the price of it". She has responded by going to bed earlier, using a hot water bottle and bed socks, and only switching on hot water when needed for washing, cooking or bathing before turning it off again.
Garner-Gatley highlighted that people living in rural areas who depend on oil heating "have no choice" but to buy the fuel. She said the situation left her "constantly worrying about how to keep warm" despite her lifetime of work. "It is really quite frightening," she added, describing the impact of fuel price inflation on older people in energy-dependent regions.
In response to the crisis, the government promised better regulation of the heating oil sector in early October. Ministers said they would tighten rules, promote competition and provide clearer compensation routes for customers. Minimum order levels set for some customers would also be reviewed as part of the reforms.
Local councils have made support available to struggling households. Cornwall Council issued payments of £300 to 1,386 households, totalling £415,800, and decided to award a further £300 to the same households, doubling the initial spend. Devon County Council's crisis resilience fund, worth about £8.4m a year, is available through district councils and is targeted at low-income households facing essential costs they cannot afford. Plymouth City Council and Torbay Council also operate their own crisis resilience funds.
For UK households dependent on heating oil in rural areas, the doubling of fuel costs means choosing between warmth and other essential spending, while those on low incomes face potential hardship without access to council support schemes.