Heating oil customers brace for a difficult winter

By David Dixon, reporting from Truro, and Julia Gregory, Devon
Published 18 October 2026

Some households are struggling to keep their homes warm after heating oil prices surged following the US‑Israeli war with Iran. Residents in the South West told the BBC they have delayed purchasing fuel for the winter, hoping prices might fall, and fear that some families could be left without heat.

The government has announced new measures intended to regulate the market and review the minimum purchase requirements for certain customers. According to the Minister for Energy Consumers, Polly Billington, heating fuel costs have risen by as much as 82 percent since the conflict began. “We need to make sure the market is working as fairly as possible,” Billington told the BBC. She added that it was striking how rural communities, many of which are off‑grid, were among the most exposed to the price hikes.

Nicola Sharpe, who lives in Dunsford, Devon, said she paid about £340 for 500 litres a year ago, but the price is now just over £600 for the same amount. “I’m looking at ways to spread the cost when I have to bite the bullet and get it,” she said.

Earlier in October, ministers pledged tighter regulation of the sector, greater competition and clearer compensation routes for customers who encounter problems. Minimum order levels for some users will also be reviewed.

Sharpe is doubtful that the new regulations will lower prices. “I can’t see how regulating it is going to bring costs down,” she said.

Pauline Trubody, from Porkellis, Cornwall, has already spent more on two 500‑litre deliveries this year than she did in previous years. The 76‑year‑old warned, “I probably won’t put it [the heating] on as much as I would have. There is going to be a lot of people who can’t afford it and folk who are going to go cold.”

Lee Fossey, from St Agnes, Cornwall, contributes £30 a month to a savings scheme that spreads the cost of heating oil over the year. “I have done everything I reasonably can to budget and prepare for winter, yet despite this, the dramatic increase in prices means I can no longer afford to fill my tank,” she said. Fossey now faces the prospect of either going without heat this winter or diverting the money to an alternative heating source.

The price surge is linked to the ongoing US‑Israeli war with Iran. In March, the government announced a £53 million support package for low‑income families that rely on heating oil.