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.

Thanks for this. I'll do some research.

@Ihateboris you are very welcome x I hope it helps x

I thought the government were going to do something about capping the price of heating oil, it's ridiculous that it's not covered by the restrictions on gas and electric prices.

This was for people who had placed an order but had it cancelled when the prices rose significantly and subsequently had to pay the higher prices at the time. I don't know if/when it was intended to happen though or indeed if it has already happened.

It’s so awful isn’t it? Especially given that men run warmer than women biologically, so an okay temperature for a man will always be cold for a woman.

My old workplace went through a restructure, and with it offered voluntary redundancy, and one of my colleagues who was around 60 at the time decided to take early retirement (her husband was also due to retire around 6 months after her anyway). She confided in me that she was worried about those 6 months between her and her husband’s retirement because she was not “allowed” to turn the heating on when he wasn’t in the house! So many women are living in these disgusting dictatorships in their own homes.

Blimey! I’ve just ordered a tank full (east central Scotland) and it’s over £1,000. We have no alternative because there’s no gas here.

Hi OP I am on heating oil. There were some changes made to the support scheme in my area, so it might be worth checking again if you are eligible. Not of much use, but do you have a buying syndicate in your village? This is usually worth a couple of pence per litre off.

Do you live alone? How many hours do you usually work a day? Just thinking that you will hopefully be out lots in heated homes cleaning?

Just myself and my dog. I'm usually out from 8am until 630. I'll probably just go to bed as soon as I get home 😅

I also have a house on oil, the government in Scotland ( I'm sure the rest of the Uk will have something similar) have a scheme you can apply for twice, £300 each, it was released in April, after the war started to try and prevent this. They pay your provider directly, you do need to prove you cant afford it, we just sent photos of us in our overdraft. We didn't have to re-apply for the second payment it was done automatically. If you dont already set up a monthly direct debit with a supplier, we do this and it evens out throughout the year, well did previously until the war, we will see how it works this year. I'll link the Scotland scheme below. https://www.gov.scot/news/support-for-households-using-heating-oil-and-lpg/

I don’t have any heaters in my home and so I have bought plug in ones.

But usually I will just have layers, a hot water bottle and a blanket.

As long as you don’t have a draft you’ll be fine.

Can I recommend that people don’t recommend electric heaters- our heating broke down last year and we had two months of electric heaters. Still paying it back now.

Op see there any providers with payment plans or could you buy the minimum amount monthly?

That's so very helpful, thank you

And weekends? So you actually need to heat yourself house for a couple of hours a day by the sounds of it… is that unaffordable?

Can you increase your income ?

Keep an eye on prices all the time OP. I was able to get 500l for £346 in July when the price dropped briefly. I used Paypal so was able to pay in three instalments. Don't know if that would help. Also, as others have said, can you set up a payment plan with your supplier.

It's worth contacting some suppliers direct as you can actually get a better deal than through people like Boilerjuice. I buy direct from NRG and it's always cheaper than buying through Boilerjuice.

Have you got a log burner? That helps, especially if you have a stove fan on top to blow the heat around. Heated blankets for the sofa and the bed make a big difference too. Little oil radiators which you only use in the rooms you're using. We're on oil and all of these help us to keep our oil use down.

Lastly, it's worth remembering which politicians in this country were champing at the bit to join Trump in Iran next time we vote.

Careful with PayPal pay in three, it can negatively effect your credit score. I used it when I didn't really need it and seriously regret it. It's the only credit I have other than a mobile phone contract and it knocked 200 points of my credit score.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2026/08/cma-heating-oil-compensation-price-hikes/

Yes, I could kick myself for not buying oil in July. The tank is completely empty now...I was hoping the war would be over by now. If only.

But if you only need for a couple hours a day… still unaffordable?

Will your dog be home all day every day 8- 18.30pm though?

Unfortunately not. I'm already doing two jobs (cleaning and dog walking). I work from 8am and get home by 630. I also work on a Saturday. Plus, I'm 55 and just don't have the energy I used to have.

If you earn less than £36000 you may be eligible for a grant for solar panels and a heat pump. I've just had them fitted and didn't have to pay a penny.
Check your local council for warm homes local grant to see if you are eligible for up to £30000 grant.

Dog is walked by my niece in the middle of the day. My heating oil also heats my water!!

Yes by only needed for a couple of hours a day?