I won't be able to heat my home..

[Ihateboris]

Due to the war in Iran, I simply cannot afford to heat my home.

I'm on heating oil, and since day 1 of the war, oil prices have risen sharply. I've just done a quick calculation, and to fill my tank today it will cost £550, the day before it all kicked off it would have cost £260. I'm just hoping and praying we have a mild winter. 🙏 Just venting.

My comment was a sarcastic reply to @Notmycircusnotmyotter, not a suggestion to you @@Ihateboris

This won't be if immediate help but it might be worth bearing in mind in the future
I've mentioned up thread about various things I've acquired over the years to keep me warm, (but obviously require financial outlay if you don't already have them) but I have something else that actually makes the house warmer - a good quality dehumidifier. It is a meaco brand and I invested in it after experiencing one when visiting friendswho lives in a house high up in the Pennines, where the weather can be very cold and damp in the winter, well autumn and spring too, especially in a house whose external walls are not lined with anything else. They initially got it to dry clothes, which it does very well, they got rid of their tumble dryer. But also discovered that it warms the house up by removing damp from the air. When I come into the house when the dehumidifier has been on, but not the heat, the living room where I have it feels much warmer. I have a little thermometer/ hygrometer, I aim to keep the humidity down to 50 percent, or between around 45 to 55 percent
Yes it uses electricity but it is not power hungry, and that is offset by reduced heating costs . If like me you are in a water meter, the water it extracts from the air can be used for watering the house plants and for flushing the loo. I realise it doesn't reduce the bill much, but as sewerage charge is based on water usage it's a bit more than you'd think and reduces the amount of treatment the water company needs and in years when the reservoirs are low even in winter, reduces the amount taken from it. And on a local basis, it's soft water in a hard water area so less timescale build up and subsequent cleaning. You'd not get a dehumidifier just to use the waste water but if you have the waste water you might as well use it for something useful

That's very useful information @Neveragainplease. A pp mentioned that Dessicant dehumidifiers blow warm air so this might the type you and your friend have, but as you say, removing damp air would make a room feel warmer anyway. The other type (compressor/refrigerant dehumidifiers) result in only 1-2 degrees warmer air blowing out whereas the dessicant model warms the air around it by 10-12 degrees C. Not enough to compensate for a proper heater but it all makes a difference.

This is a common tactic in Japan - OP you might find some good tips if you look at Japanese vloggers on You Tube. I've watched several and found them really useful.

Rather an unkind post.

Might be worth looking into solar panels with no upfront cost, although I’m assuming you own your property?

I'm a tenant

Yes it is a dessicant type. I actually bought a second hand one thinking it might be good to have it in the bedroom, but it doesn't seem as effective for the heat, it is so I discover a refrigerant one. Cheaper to run but without the warmer air. Not sure what type my friend's is
OP doesn't have the ££ to buy one ATM but at some point it might be worth considering

We’ll seriously be considering them once we’ve finished the other renovations that need doing first. I can’t remember where I was looking previously but I estimated our break even time would 10 years, so I don’t think I’d do it in that case.

For those who meet the criteria for a grant, I think it is well worth considering if possible.

Most posters don't understand how oil works. There is usually a minimum delivery of 500 litres. Boilerjuice are offering 250 litre deliveries at the moment. Im not sure how easy it is to get a small delivery.

Oil is more expensive in winter, especially December to February. I always try to get a delivery in May, when it is at its cheapest. This year it was different due to trumps war.

I sincerely hope that OP hasn't run out of oil. Running out of oil requires a heating engineer coming out to do a 'pull through'. This costs about £200. Oil boilers also need to be serviced annually, cost about £200. I am guessing that 500 litres of oil will be about £500 at the moment.

For those who don't understand and pay their energy bills monthly: imagine if you had to pay your energy bills for 4 months in advance, in a lump sum. Imagine that you have been informed that your bills are going to be much more expensive than you had budgeted for

If you shop around lots of places do allow less than 500l, at least in our area anyway.

Thank you for explaining the issue so clearly.. you are so right , unless you have oil heating, people just don't understand how difficult it is.

Thank you for summarising so clearly. Yes you’re right it was around 95p a litre last week when I bought. We have our boiler serviced every year too, the engineers also check the tank itself. We monitor the gauge to make sure it doesn’t get too low. 500 is the minimum still - I like my supplier as they are honest and upfront, give good service, friendly drivers and quick delivery.

The increases in 2026 have cost me hundreds so far. In winter obviously you use more and in Dec Jan and Feb usually I’d be ordering 500 every month or so. So that’s hundreds again more than last year, up front. I’m at home all day which makes a difference.

I live in one of the coldest parts of the uk and that can be forgotten - our temperatures are not comparable to mid to south of England. (When I go south on holiday it always feels much warmer no matter the time of year but I guess it’s what we each become normalised to). I would not want oil again once this boiler needs replaced and no way would I go down the heat pump route because I don’t believe it would effectively heat my house without boosting.

I really do worry for people on oil this coming winter, the eligibility for grants is very strict unless you claim certain benefits so many will not have any support at all.

It's bloody awful isn't it? The only saving grace for me is that I work long hours as a cleaner and live alone so can restrict the heating. However, as my place is very old, with high ceilings and sash windows, it takes a hell of a long time to heat up.
I wish the government would step in. Could you imagine the uproar if people on gas and electricity were told that they had to pay for their fuel upfront?

Minimum here is 500L unfortunately.

Just to add a warning, we have had several oil thefts in our village recently. Holes drilled in plastic tanks and then oil sucked out. At 90p+ a litre this makes a criminal activity worthwhile. Worth investing in some security lights.

OP do you have an open fire or log burner?

Im also surprised that no LPG users have appeared on this thread. LPG is expensive too. It used to be more expensive than oil.

Unfortunately I don't have a log burner

Oh my God, I've heard of a few thefts here as well. I've just bought a Ring camera!

Yes … and suddenly it’s 30% + higher or whatever, it’s so unpredictable.

We used to padlock ours but no point as drilling wholes like you describe would likely cause more damage as obviously the padlocks are no deterrent any more,

Every time The Orange One opens his mouth, the markets react and the oil price shoots up. Him and his minions are certainly not suffering that's for sure

The orange one no doubt knew this would be the result of his war, and planned it. Possibly jealous of the Arab oil wealth? His wars are motivated by wealth. Greenland was just a threat to get Europe to organise themselves into protecting Greenland from Russia, so that the US didn't have to pay out. Venezuela’s massive crude oil reserves motivated his removal of its president.
The only positive thing is that we have all become acutely aware of how reliant we have been on foreign oil. As a result solar panels are looking more attractive, hopefully there will be further incentives for people to buy them, but particularly landlords so that their tenants can benefit. That doesn't help you in the here and now though, so I'm still hoping for a mild winter and a small windfall for you.

I invested in an off-brand Oodie two winters ago, and honestly, it's fantastic for warmth. I'm not very tall, so it almost reaches my knees. It's like wearing a duvet.
They aren't glamourous, but I basically live in mine from November to March!

a lot of people are in that same situation. a solution, if available, is an open fire as we always used to have, and any solid fuel you can lay your hands on for free. we reinstated our taxi grates earlier this year and have been stockpiling old pallets and branches, not a solution for everyone, though.
But the boss man of Octopus realised this a couple of years ago a g gave all their vulnerable customers electric blankets, cheaper to heat one person under a blanket than to heat the whole house.
its dire, but remember that most if the cost of heating oil is still tax, and additional stupid net zero carbon levies, besides our government refusing to harvest north sea oil and gas and to Frack