Oil Prices

[Dave Liquorice]

It's that time of year again, need to get the winters supply of heating oil in. What is the current price?

[Grunff]

Paid 16.9p + vat 3 weeks ago.

[Colin]

I paid 16.5p for 28sec & 19.75p for 35 sec a month ago.

(Has anyone found a chart on the internet that gives an indication of relative oil prices?)

Colin

[The Natural Philosopher]

Thats a good target according to one delivery guy I spoke to.

[Dave Liquorice]

Thanks chaps, at least I have a ball park figure to compare against when I order this morning. Last 2000l was way back at the end of Feb at 24.1p/l + VAT...

Oil price is very variable, I guess you could look at the prices of the various crudes but I don't think that influences the retail prices particulary quickly (in a stable market). There is so much competition in the retail market that other factors play a part, like how much oil you use, regular customer etc.

[Curiosity]

Just about to get Oil central heating installed.

May I ask, what is 28sec, 35sec ?.

Thanks

Paul D

[The Natural Philosopher]

Mmm. My delivery man (who stopped looking for somewhere esle) said that he had delivered various loads, all from teh same tanker, ranging from under 117p to over 24p....basically if you contract to an oil company who 'come and top you up' you end up paying 24p. If you phone around and get the best spot price on the day/week, you pay

[Dave Liquorice]

117p Fer king ell...! I guess you mean 11.7p B-)

That 24p I paid was just before the Iraq War kicked off oil prices where going silly. Just rung our normal supplier and got quoted

19.25p, one other the other local firms 17.98. Now trying to find the number of the supplier who is really local (ie not 20+ miles away) to see what they can offer...

Quite, I suspect 3 weeks ago they where overstocked and slack but since then we have had a cold snap and it's getting cooler generally... I know our weekly oil consumption rate has more than doubled since September. 27th Sep to 4th Oct 1.5cm decline in tank level, 25th Oct > 1st Nov 3.75cm (the previous week when it was colder was 4.5cm). Peak winter rate is >7cm/week on a tank where 2000l raises the level 83cm...

[Rick Dipper]

Can I run my car on this stuff ?

Rick

[Grunff]

As in will it run? Yes. Is it legal to use on public roads? No.

[Colin]

One is sometimes called "burn" oil (28 sec) and the other is sometimes called "gas" oil (35 sec).

One is like paraffin, the other is quite like red diesel.

I have the two sorts because the central heating is *very* old and uses the gloopier stuff (35 sec) and the Aga, because it is newer, uses the other (28 sec).

I guess that pretty much everything is 28 sec nowadays....(?)

BTW: Here is the breakdown of what I have brought recently....

28 sec (Aga)

Qty NWF p/litre

17 Sept 2001 150 gallons 21.75 14 Jan 2002 150 gallons 15.25 1 Aug 2002 1000litres 15.1 24 June 2003 - 18.2 23 Sep 2003 250 gallons 16.5

Colin

[The Natural Philosopher]

Not legally,no;-)

[Dave Liquorice]

Especially if it normally takes petrol. B-)

A normal diesel will run fine on 35sec 'cause that is what diesel is. Of course such a car could never(*) legally use the public roads.

(*) Well not without stripping and cleaning the complete fuel system to remove the tracing dyes and chemicals...

[Grunff]

Not true. If I chose to run my diesel car off oil on a private road, all I'd have to do to use it on a public road is empty the tank, fill up with road taxed diesel, and off I go.

[Dave Liquorice]

You try convincing HM C&E that you have done that if/when they stop you and find traces of red or 35sec heating oil in the fuel system. I somehow don't think you'll get a "Sorry to have bothered you, Sir" response and be fairly quickly on your way...

[Dave Stanton]

Its a measure of its thickness, called viscosity. You use a standard funnel device called a Flow Cup and time hoe long a measured amount of oil takes to flow through.

Dave

[Dave Liquorice]

Just to follow up, for 2000/l of ordinary 28sec heating oil. Prices ex VAT. Called Shell, our normal supplier, got quoted 19.25p. I'd have felt that was high even without knowing the 3 week ago price...

Rang round 4 other places and got lower prices 17.98 (x 2), 18.7 &

18.95. As Shell have served us well in the past and we have an account I called them back quoting the 17.98 prices and was offered 18.5 which I accepted.

[Michael Mcneil]

If I chose to run my diesel car off oil on a private

They rely on people pleading guilty. It's the same with a TV license. If you don't use one it doesn't mean you have to get rid of your TV or pay the fee.

Farmers and agricultural workers can use said vehicles with red diesel within a few miles of home. If they want to go further they need to put diesel that has been boiled with carbon in the tank. I can't imagine how the customs and excise would make a case against them if they failed to do that.

If you feel queasy about it, fix a PTO to your car and tell them you use it to cut logs of something, even use it as a rotovator. They would have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that you are the filthy, lying, deceitful scum we all know and love.

[PoP]

Yes, but the old maxim "it takes one to know one" would be true here, wouldn't it?

PoP

[Andrew Heggie <andrew.heggie]

Only if it is registered as an agricultural machine AND it displays a tax disc (even though it is now exempt from road fund duty the disc must be displayed to travel on the road with rebated fuel).

AJH