Cheapest Oil Price in 3 Years: The Time to Buy is Now

The price of oil has undergone a radical drop in recent months. Remarkably, cost has decreased by nearly a quarter in only 6 months; with prices falling from $115 (£73) per barrel in summer to around $84 (£53) per barrel in November.

Of course, before getting too excited, it’s important to keep in mind the reality of the situation. In the last 6 years, the market has seen a number of commodity crashes, followed by spikes in prices; and to say that the oil market is unpredictable at present is an understatement.

Making the most of the cheapest oil prices in months

Due to the volatile nature of the oil market, it’s always advisable to seize the opportunity to buy in bulk when prices are low. It’s a time when there is real money to be saved and it’s a good idea to act quickly in order to obtain the cheapest oil price possible.

However, don’t trust that the savings will be automatically passed on to you. Fortunately, there are plenty of reputable heating oil distributers who will act decently and ensure that you benefit from the lower wholesale prices. However, the ‘rocket and feather’ effect is occasionally felt by the general public; the general feeling that prices will ‘rocket’ upwards rapidly when oil prices go up, but descend as slowly as a ‘feather’ when they go down, which means that consumers don’t reap the full benefits of the reduced costs.

Do your homework when you buy heating oil

Of course, you need to act relatively quickly when oil prices are low, to ensure you make the most of the excellent prices. However, it still makes sense to do your research and to ensure that you’re purchasing from the right supplier.

Here are a few things to consider when researching the market:

Who offers the best price? Money should always be a top priority. Sometimes, it’s a good idea to phone the company in question and ask about bulk prices, which will always be considerably cheaper than buying in small amounts.

Can they offer consistently lower prices? Don’t necessarily opt for the company that has the lowest prices at that particular time. It makes better sense to select a heating oil supplier than offers consistently good prices, and is always firmly focused upon passing savings on to their customer.

Can they offer swift delivery? Some companies will offer cheaper prices, but there will be drawbacks, such as longer delivery times. For most, this isn’t terribly practical, especially when you need the heating oil in a hurry in order to heat your home. Look for a company that offers quick delivery, plus a faster option, if required.

Value Oils: Passing the savings on to our customers

Value Oils take pride in keeping things fair. If the wholesale price of oil comes down, so do our retail prices; and we always aim to offer highly competitive deals, especially on bulk orders. If you want to find out more about our oil prices.

Reasons Why You Need Your Oil Boiler Servicing Every Year

The vast majority of boiler experts and heating engineers will tell you that it makes good sense to have your oil boiler serviced each and every year. However, without a comprehensive explanation, many people wonder just why exactly it is so important to have it done. After all, if your oil boiler is operating without any issues, what is the advantage of paying to have it checked?

Paying the price: Oil boiler service cost…is it worth it?

Often, homeowners believe that, simply because their heating has been operating well over the last year, it doesn’t require any form of boiler servicing. However, people tend to change their mind quite quickly when their boilers break down, leaving them with an ice-cold home until an emergency repair man can find the time to fix the heating…often at a far greater cost than an annual service!

Some people learn the lesson the hard way. If you want to avoid the same fate, then it’s time to arrange for a boiler service as soon as possible. Booking an annual check-up for your oil heating system is a wise decision, and compared to the call-out price of an emergency boiler repair, oil boiler servicing costs aren’t actually too bad at all.

What are the advantages?

Your oil boiler service cost is certainly money well spent, for a number of reasons. Here are just a few of the benefits to keep in mind when arranging your annual service.

2. Saving money. Oil boilers, for the most part, run extremely efficiently. However, over time, this efficiency can diminish, causing the system to use up more oil and ultimately, raise your heating bill. An annual service is an excellent way of identifying any issues that may be preventing your boiler from operating at its best and a good boiler service engineer will be able to ‘tweak’ your system to ensure you’re getting the best usage out of your oil supply possible.

2. Staying safe. Safety should always be a top priority for you, especially if you have children in the house. Your oil boiler functions under high pressure, and if there is any weakness in the system, it can cause a pipe to rupture, or even the boiler itself to explode. As you might imagine, this is highly dangerous and can result in serious injury. Your boiler servicing cost will cover a full safety check, which is vital for staying safe.

2. Keep it clean. The boiler and flue get extremely dirty after a period of time, as soot and other detritus builds up around it. This grime can affect the smooth running of the heating system, forcing your system to operate in less than ideal conditions, which again, leads to a higher heating bill.

2. Avoid the hassle of breakdown. A broken oil boiler can wreak havoc in your life, particularly in the winter months. Managing without heating or hot water is incredibly difficult, and booking a regular boiler servicing can help you to avoid this unpleasant situation.