Price of (heating) oil increasing 10 euro per day

[Franglais24]

Hi,

We have just had the supplier of our heating oil round, saying that 1000 litres is currently increasing in price by 10 euros per day and he doesn't see this trend changing.

It's just as well we did find a wood-fired burner to complement our central heating system! (Ideal Standard).

F24.

[Liz]

Well, he would say that wouldn't he! I have been wondering whether to top up our tank but haven't got round to checking prices yet, we'll hold out until the end of the season I think.

Thank heavens for a wood burner though. A 3 hour power cut yesterday would have left us without heat and had me wondering whether I would, at long last, get some use out of the candles I stockpiled in the 70s (anyone remember the 3 day week?)

Liz (29)

[Iceni]

Oil is a commodity and like any commodity when it is in greatest demand the price goes up. It is not just Europe that is having a cold winter, they showed a town in the US which had had over 70 inches of snow this winter and that was very unusual for them. The US started out with very low oil stocks and are buying like mad. China is also another item in this equation. Gas is problematic and all this adds to the pressure on oil stocks. If you are in France having a log-burner seems a good idea as a back-up if wood is a reasonable price. Whatever fuel you use, I fear that this will be an escalating cost.

Hmm, just heard that OPEC have announced that we should expect a barrel of oil to cost $80 a barrel within 2 years. Current cost $51 - $53. There are some economists that think that $100 a barrel is feasible (and they are looking at the current value of the dollar and not looking for oil to drop to non $ countries due to the ongoing fall of the $ against all major currencies [hope that that makes sense]). If oil does go to $80, that will have an impact on everything, food, all forms of power etc etc. Time to think about a bigger potager and to stockpile wood the way all our neighbours do.

Ho hum, oh to live in interesting times (Chinese curse). Don't suppose they will put up the UK pension as UK pensioners already get fixed price subsidised gas and leccy and those that came to France after they retired get the £200 payment. I would rather be in France and frugal than in the UK and have cheaper heating though

[ChezShells]

we can use wood as well as oil but with ours it takes ages for the wood burner to get warm, once warm tho its pretty good but hours to get warm, and its been really cold the last few week

[Leschenauds]

[quote]we can use wood as well as oil but with ours it takes ages for the wood burner to get warm, once warm tho its pretty good but hours to get warm, and its been really cold the last few week[/quote]

We have a UK Villager woodburner which stays alight all night and by juggling the damper and air inlets can be turned up to a blaze just like a gas fire. We also have a cheap, 40€ Rosiers fire which is still warm in the morning and gets up to blazing in about 20 minutes.