A woman whose husband is unable to breathe in cold air has said she is worried they cannot heat their home following huge price hikes for heating oil due to the US war against Iran.
Gail Thompson, 66, and her husband Steve, 71, live in rural Kent, and paid £328 for their last delivery of 500 litres of heating oil in January. On Thursday, they were quoted £717 for the same delivery following huge spikes in costs following the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
Ms Thompson told The Independent her husband’s chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pulmonary fibrosis (PF) make breathing in cold air incredibly difficult, and could kill him if they are left without heating.
The couple has around 380 litres of heating oil left – enough to last a month, or several, depending on the temperature – and are trying to turn the heating on as little as possible to conserve their supply. But Ms Thompson said her husband’s illnesses mean that sometimes they have no choice but to turn it on.
“The other day our thermostat said 14C,” she said. “When it gets that cold, we have to put the heating on, or it will kill him. There is nothing you can do to warm up the air other than put the heating on. So we put it on, we had to.”
Ms Thompson told The Independent their biggest concern is that prices will “keep increasing” with no end to the conflict in sight. She added that there are many elderly people in her area who she is concerned will also be struggling with health issues in the cold.
“My concern is the prices are going through the roof, but also, if they can’t get any oil, what happens then?” she asked. “What happens if the suppliers run so low that people can’t get it?”
Ms Thompson said while the couple doesn’t struggle for money day to day, they budget, and cannot afford the huge jump in prices heating oil has seen over the last week.
“We’re not struggling for money as a general rule, but we’re not millionaires,” she told The Independent. “It does make you think twice about buying oil.
“I can’t afford to pay £700, I just can’t.”
Unlike electricity and gas, heating oil is not subject to any regulation or price cap by Ofgem, meaning suppliers are free to price it as high as they wish.
Ms Thompson accused heating oil suppliers of “profiteering”, saying people will eventually pay the high prices because they have to for hot water, even without heating their homes.
“It’s unfair,” she said. “That sounds like a peevish word, but it doesn’t seem right that electricity and gas prices can be capped but those delivering the oil can price gouge willy-nilly.”
Thieves have reportedly targeted heating oil tanks in Suffolk as prices soar. Police have urged those with heating oil tanks to take steps to keep them safe following reports at two properties.
The government has said it will “not tolerate” energy companies exploiting the Middle East crisis for profit, with Sir Keir Starmer pledging to “send the strong message to companies that prices must be fair, transparent and justifiable, not inflated at the expense of working people”.
Britain’s competition watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), has also launched an investigation into “troubling reports” of sudden price hikes for heating oil. It said it was writing to heating oil suppliers and intermediaries “as a matter of urgency” to gather evidence and consider whether the behaviour breaches consumer protection laws – which could result in enforcement action.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government was working with the watchdog to tackle “any price gouging” in heating oil.
