The number of residents accessing the Consumer Council’s Home Heating Oil price checker website has increased by over 1,000 percent in the last week, representatives have told Derry and Strabane elected representatives.

The Council this weekagreed to write to the Labour Party in support of demands for emergency measures to help struggling households

Last week the price of 500 litres of home heating oil (HHO) increased to around £600 compared to just over £300 for the same amount in the prior week, following the US-Israeli assault on Iran and subsequent Iranian missile attacks.

In response, Derry City and Strabane District Council called for an emergency deputation to its Governance and Strategic Planning Committee by Consumer Council representatives.

Oil prices doubled in a matter of days last week.

placeholder image — Oil prices doubled in a matter of days last week.

At that meeting on Tuesday members were told that the Consumer Council’s Oil Price Checker website currently allows customers access to weekly average HHO prices by council area, and as of next week it is hoped that prices will be updated daily.

Head of Energy, Raymond Gormley, said the the Consumer Council was currently looking into the feasibility of the daily pricing updates and told members that they would be informed as soon as this is put in place.

“At this particular crisis there’s no point in having a weekly oil price checker because prices are changing two or three times a day,” he clarified. “So a daily one will give an indication of what people can expect to pay for their oil.”

Director of Infrastructure and Sustainability, Karen Smyth, noted that between February 28 and March 9 the HHO price checker was accessed 11,000 times, compared to just 888 instances between February 20 and February 27, while vehicle fuel checks increased from 438 to 6,000 during the same periods.

People Before Profit Councillor Shaun Harkin.

“The normal figure for [HHO] is around 1,000 and for the fuel price checker it’s about 400 or 500, so there’s a massive ramp-up of people looking for the information,” she said. “And that’s because they know they can trust it.

“We are advising customers not to panic buy as over-demand can unintentionally push prices up even higher, and we’re still advising that people shop around, consider ordering smaller quantities than you normally would, make use of the price checker, and contact us if there’s a complaint about your oil delivery.”

Following the deputation, People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin successfully proposed that council write to the British Government in support of demands for an “emergency package” of financial support, including price caps, direct payments, and energy bill support, to aid families struggling with “through the roof” energy costs.

“Council supports calls for the Labour government to enact an emergency wealth tax on billionaires and large oil and gas corporations to offset the financial impact on many struggling and vulnerable households because of spiking energy costs,” the proposal added.

“Council will write to the Stormont Executive calling on it to intervene to protect financially hard-pressed households impacted by the costs of the US/Israeli war with price caps and direct payments.

“Council calls on the British government and Stormont Executive to enact regulation of and take immediate action to stop price gouging by corporations.”

The consumer Council’s oil price checker can be accesses by visiting: consumercouncil.org.uk/home-heating/price-checker