AIBU? Minimum order quantities for home heating oil?

[Anotherselfemployedcleaner]

In the UK (NI excepted), the minimum amount of home heating oil (Kerosene) you can order is 500 litres.

Why is this? Is it due to Weights and Measures, or, as it says on the Boilerjuice website, because ‘Our minimum order is 500 litres (excluding Northern Ireland) as delivering less than that is not cost effective for our Suppliers.’

Or is it both?

YANBU - measures should be put in place to allow smaller deliveries, with the clear understanding that smaller deliveries may attract a supplier service charge/higher price per litre.

YABU - there is no possible way to administer smaller deliveries, even if a supplier service charge was added/higher price per litre was charged.

I don't think 500 litres is the regulation minimum, is it? More likely the minimum amount some of the bigger suppliers offer?

We don't use oil but my friend has had a couple of houses that have.

I know she got a small oil delivery when she was moving as needed some for a few weeks but not a winters worth.

I've also seen an oil drum(?) being dropped off at an oil-heated holiday cottage we rented. Don't think that would have been 500 litres.

Have you looked for local firms who deliver less?

I can’t see many houses every needing less. We just changed from oil, and had 4000l storage tanks and used approx 300-400l per month in winter. So 500l would only be 4-6 weeks worth

YANBU. I'm nearing the bottom of my tank at the mo and move house in a few days - buggered if I'm spending money on 500 litres for the next tenants, especially as the tank was nearly empty when we moved in. So I've just bought an electric heater to use and switched the main heating off.

I'm pretty sure I saw a post on a local village facebook group for a company offering 250l deliveries in a smaller vehicle so good where access is tricky.