Heating oil cost and quote comparison

What makes two quotes not comparable

• Order quantity. Price per litre generally falls with volume, so a quote for a larger order will look better per litre while costing more in total.
• Delivery window. A price for delivery within ten working days is not the same product as a price for next-day delivery.
• Payment terms. Card payment surcharges, discounts for payment on order, and account terms all move the effective price.
• Access surcharges. Long hose runs, difficult access and restricted delivery vehicles can attract additional charges.
• Minimum order quantity, which may be higher than you want.
• Whether VAT is shown, and at what rate – domestic heating oil attracts a reduced rate, and commercial use may not.
• Buying group pricing, which is a different mechanism again.

The tool lays these side by side so you are comparing the actual cost of the actual delivery rather than two headline figures.

What the tool does not do

If we obtain a licensed feed or establish a supplier arrangement that permits it, we will publish properly sourced data and say where it came from. Until then, this is a comparison tool rather than a price tracker.

How to get comparable quotes

1. Decide your order quantity firstAnd ask everybody for the same quantity. This alone removes most of the apparent difference between quotes.
2. Decide your acceptable delivery windowAnd ask for a price against it. An urgent delivery costs more everywhere.
3. Ask for the total delivered cost including VATNot the price per litre.
4. Ask about surchargesCard payment, access, small order, out of area.
5. Ask about the minimum orderSo you know whether the quantity you want is even available.
6. Check the delivery window is a commitmentRather than an aspiration, particularly in cold weather.
7. Ask whether they will fill the tank or deliver a fixed quantityThese are different and it affects what you actually receive.

The timing question

We do not forecast prices and we would not trust anybody who does. What we can say is about demand and logistics, which are observable facts rather than predictions:

1. Cold snaps create demand spikes. Everybody orders at once when the temperature drops, lead times extend from days to weeks, and that is exactly when you cannot wait.
2. Winter is the busy season. Suppliers have more capacity outside the heating season.
3. Emergency deliveries cost more where they are available at all.
4. Lead times are longest precisely when you need it most.

The operational conclusion is simple and it does not require a forecast: keep a reserve, order at a quarter tank, and fill before the season. That removes the timing problem entirely – see buying heating oil sensibly.

Oil buying groups

Common in rural Norfolk and generally worth joining where one exists. A number of households in an area combine orders so a supplier delivers a large volume on one round, and the group negotiates on that basis.

• Frequently organised through a parish council or village association.
• Orders are placed on a schedule, so you need to be able to wait for the next round – another argument for keeping a reserve.
• The saving comes from volume and from efficient delivery rounds, both of which are genuine.
• You are still dealing with a supplier for the delivery itself.

If there is no group in your village, it is the kind of thing a few neighbours can start.

What we would rather you spent the effort on

Honestly: the difference between a good and a poor oil price on a single delivery is real, and it is usually smaller than the difference between an efficient and an inefficient heating system.

1. A properly serviced boiler, burning correctly. An untuned burner costs meaningfully more every hour it runs – see what actually happens during an oil boiler service.
2. Flow temperature set as low as the radiators allow, which is free.
3. Insulated pipework in unheated spaces.
4. Working controls and TRVs.
5. A balanced system, so heat reaches the rooms that need it.
6. Not running the tank dry, which causes expensive problems.

Those are within your control and they compound every year. See where oil boiler efficiency actually goes.