INISHOWEN householders
are getting a much-needed holiday from their heating
bills as oil distributors report business "at a
standstill" due to the July heat wave and ongoing
humid weather.
Many homes have not switched on their central
heating for weeks after the longest running
heat-wave in nearly two decades made way for
humidity and temperatures that remain in the high
teens and 20s for much of the country.
The Irish Petroleum Industry Association (IPIA)
which represents kerosene suppliers across the
country say that since the beginning of June, demand
for home heating oil is down between 30 per cent and
50 per cent on the same period last year.
"All around the country, distributors’ businesses in
this regard are at a standstill compared with
winter, early spring and late autumn," said an IPIA
spokesperson.
“Consequently, they are relying on small commercial
and agricultural demand to keep their businesses
going until domestic demand is likely to return in
the colder weather of the autumn.”
As families contemplate having to fill up for
autumn, it currently costs between about €830 and
€920 for 1,000 litres of home heating oil in
Inishowen.
The IPIA said it could not predict if oil prices
would rise or fall this winter and advised consumers
to "fill up now".
"It is very difficult for any of us to predict the
movements in prices of any commodities. That said,
there is a tendency for prices to rise when demand
increases in the winter. So there is a strong case
for filling up now, rather than waiting until there
is snow on the ground," added the spokesperson.
Meanwhile, the Department of Social Protection will
assist approximately 410,000 people with their
heating costs this winter. Eligible recipients will
receive a fuel allowance of €20 per week for 26
weeks between October and April 2014. |
