15 December 2008
The government must do more to support consumers with oil-based heating systems, the commission for rural communities has claimed.
According to the BBC, it says households who use oil to heat their homes are paying higher prices because they are unable to benefit from the competitive offers available from gas and electricity providers.
Commission spokesman Richard Burge told the news provider: "Jack Frost is tapping at the windows of badly heated homes.
Those people need access to cheap heating oil before they get cold." There are over one million households using oil as a heating fuel in the UK and, according to the Centre for Sustainable Energy, they are twice as likely to be living in fuel poverty than those with access to mains gas.
Earlier this year, research carried out by Abbey Insurance revealed that one in four households with oil-based central heating do not have heating cover to protect themselves against oil theft.
Consumers can compare heating cover online in order to find the best deals.