Heating oil trade association, the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (FPS), has joined forces with the Government and consumer bodies ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England), Citizens Advice Bureau and Consumer Futures to urge heating oil consumers across the UK to change their energy habits and order heating oil early before winter weather arrives.

The ‘buy oil early’ campaign also has the support of the Energy Minister Matt Hancock. He said: “The nights are drawing in and winter is just around the corner so we are encouraging people to stock up on oil sooner not later. It’s better to order early when demand is low and prices are low and to make sure no household is caught out, especially in remote and rural areas, where roads can be disrupted and delivery times only increase as the weather gets worse.”

The campaign has been launched now as oil prices have fallen over the last two quarters and the FPS is urging consumers to take advantage of the good prices on offer at the moment.

Chief Executive of the FPS Mark Askew said: “We have launched a buy oil early campaign now in association with the Government and Consumer agencies and we hope people will heed our combined advice. We are urging people not to leave it to the last minute when the bad weather has taken hold and tanker drivers struggle to get through on roads covered in snow or ice. In addition, compared to how much it cost the 1.5 million off-grid energy users to heat their homes using oil last year, it’s now a lot cheaper – which is obviously great news for households who use oil.”