Many households across Northern Ireland have been hit by a huge price increase in home heating oil. In just one week, the average price of 500 litres of home heating oil saw a 45% increase. The price spike is linked to global oil prices rising after Iran launched strikes across the Middle East in response to ongoing attacks by the US and Israel.
Pauline Buller, a pensioner who lives in the County Antrim village of Aghalee, paid £786 for 800 litres of oil, a rise of more than £300 in just days. ' Buller added that there is no other real alternative to using home heating oil in her area. Gareth Barker, a resident of Portadown, paid £286 for 400 litres of home heating oil on Saturday, and it subsequently went up to £526 when he checked the same company on Thursday.
Barker ordered the oil because he was concerned about what was about to happen in the Middle East. ' Eilish O'Doherty, who works for Older People North West, a drop-in centre for elderly people in Londonderry, said there is an awful lot of fear out there about the rising cost of home heating oil. 5%) in Northern Ireland use oil for heating, the highest proportion of UK nations.
According to the Consumer Council, about 500,000 homes in Northern Ireland use heating oil and about 284,000 use natural gas. It remains unknown what specific measures, if any, are being taken to assist affected households.