Grow Your Own Magazine

We've only a small tank and to get best price on refilling it has to be run to near empty, guess who's fuel started getting close to empty on christmas eve!!?

I was hoping not to have to ring up for a few more days, but its looking a bit grim.......anyone in Wiltshire got a good price for heating oil?

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

Probably not for now if you're in a hurry for oil but does anyone in your village run an oil collective?

When we lived in Cholderton the village became involved with Butler Fuels and the more people joined the group, the cheaper the oil was.

They (Butler) were very good on deliveries etc and I used to pay monthly and they would just fill the tank when it was needed.

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A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot! (Thomas Edward Brown)

We're a tiny hamlet and they don't seem to 'do' a heating oil collective, but thanks.

I've had experience of getting oil quotes for a 'collective' for a job I did, most of the bigger companies will match a good quote, depending on quantity ordered. We get ours thru Total as they allow payment by monthly direct debit, but wondered what was a good price to try and bargain with.

I haven't been brave enough to ring for quotes yet, I think I'm in for a very nasty shock. I didn't realise when we had the heating put in that there is always a certain quantity of oil (usually about 1000l, maybe 900l) where the price drops by about 1p per litre. So if I'd known that I'd have bought a bigger oil tank so it wouldn't have to be run so close to empty before 1000l would fit in!!! Ah well too late now.

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

My Dad's gas started to sputter and run out on the 23rd! He was incandescant as he is on a top-up scheme with Total where they're supposed to come out monthly and just put in however much it takes to fill the tank back up. Then when he rang up to find out what was going on & make sure they would come before Christmas, he got put in a "queue" and got cut off every time it said he'd got to #1!! I haven't seen him so angry in along time
He's now looking for another supplier...!

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Sarah

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

If they try to mess me about I ask how long it'll take them to pay back any direct debit overpayments and that I intend to go elsewhere....that makes 'em think a bit!

I've gotten a couple of quotes, oil gone from early summer price of about 30p/litre to about 43p/litre - thats some hike!!!!

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

OUCH! They know they've got a captive audience in winter don't they?!

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Sarah

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

Yes fraid so. We've got an open fire, so theorectically we could heat the house with that, but as we've only a combi boiler hot water for the shower could be a problem!!!

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

Plan on switching: I expect oil price increases to average 10% pa.. for years to come.

err what to?

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

whatever it gets to...

We had 600 litres delivered between Chistmas and new year at 42.90 ppl. That should keep us going for a while and I can check the price again in Summer. I'm thinking of giving up central heating and wearing more woolies.

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http://www.weltaf.co.uk/
Why keep a dog when you can bark yourself !

No switch to what, we haven't got gas out here?

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

Yes, learning to knit holds a certain fascination!

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

I suppose you could get gas deliveries instead?! Can't imagine it's any cheaper though
What about having a back boiler put in for your open fire? That might save you a bit in water heating costs, but only if you can get wood/logs cheap enough... And it would prob cost a fortune to begin with! Hmmmm, how bout an electric/power showr? Then the combi boiler wouldn't fire up every time?
I dunno, stuck between a rock & a hard place really aren't you?!

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Sarah

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

Yep, but its a very pretty 'hard place'!

It may be if we're here long term we'd have to consider a solid fuel boiler and as you say an electric shower. Oh as for gas you have to have the cylinders surrounded by a certain amount of space and other such regulations that make it difficult and I'm not sure its that much cheaper (well it soon may be of course!).

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

Pa gets his gas delivered by a tanker, into a storage tank like the oil tanks. But I think they're probably an 'investment'....

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Sarah

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”