An expert has shared advice on how to make sure you're getting the best deal on your home heating oil as prices in Northern Ireland have increased by 80% in the past ten days.
The increase in heating oil prices come as a result of energy markets reacting to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has 12% of the world's oil supply, and the uncertainty about the conflict means prices have been rising and fluctuating.
Price rises are also evident in other energy areas, including in the average costs of petrol and diesel.
Read more: The reason NI petrol and diesel prices change due to location
Peter McClenaghan, Director of Infrastructure and Sustainability at the Consumer Council, explained why prices are higher in some areas of Northern Ireland compared to others, and how to make sure you're getting the best deal possible.
He said: "There does appear to be differences in different areas and suppliers, but that's not actually a bad thing for consumers. It means if you can shop around, you can still get yourself a better deal.
"What we would find in the heating oil market anyway, even before the price crisis, was that was the case. There would be fluctuation between suppliers on price. It wasn't always a clear rationale for that and the same goes for the minute.
"As prices rose quite significantly over the past 10 days, they're now about 80% higher than they were the day before Russia invaded Ukraine. It's crazy numbers and really indicates the pressure it's going to have on people when it comes to affordability.
"In the days that followed, there was a lot of fluctuation and at times big differences in the prices between suppliers, but the price differential is now flatting out and there's less of a difference between suppliers.
"The big differentials were down to some suppliers holding more stock, and they were able to charge at prices they'd already had oil in at. Some suppliers knew they had oil booked to come in which meant they knew they had capacity there, even if they didn't know what price they'd be buying it at.
"Companies that didn't have much stock booked and were really unsure about where prices were going and I think did one of two things. Some started limiting orders, saying they wouldn't take orders over 300 litres to make sure they could serve everybody that needed it, which is quite a responsible thing to do.
"Others, due to the nervousness, jacked their prices up. They didn't want to be in a situation where they were out of pocket because they were being charged more than the prices they would quote to consumers, so prices went up a bit."
The Consumer Council's Home Heating Oil Price Checker, which is updated every Thursday, currently shows the average price of 300 litres of oil is £275.92, while the average cost of 900 litres is £752.11.
As oil prices in Northern Ireland aren't regulated in the same way as gas prices - where consumers are given a 21 day warning before price hikes - Peter said they're seeing more customers getting less oil for their money.
However, he urges there are some steps consumers can take to make sure they aren't getting ripped off.
"The Consumer Council and Trading Standards are seeing people being quoted one price, then getting less for their money when the delivery comes. That's a breach of regulation, suppliers shouldn't be doing that," Peter said.
"The difficulty then is suppliers are sometimes not quoting a price. If prices are rising, they don't want to be out of pocket, so they don't quote customers a price, which means they're not in breach of trading standards. But for customers, it means you're really unsure of what you'll be paying.
"Our advice is if you need oil, you should book the date it's going to come on, the quantity you need, and at the very least get your supplier to quote you a maximum price so then you're protecting itself and won't be paying more than a number you're aware of in advance.
"That's far from ideal, but at least then people aren't having to fork out extra money on top of what they're paying, or getting a significantly lower size of delivery than what they were expecting. If your supplier quotes you a price, that is a contract they should fulfill under law."
He also advises that customers should use the Northern Ireland Oil Federation 's (NIOF) pay point facilities that can help you budget.
You can find the latest Consumer Council Home Heating Oil Price Checker by clicking here. For free and independent advice, you can get in touch with the Consumer Council by calling Freephone 0800 121 6022 or by emailing contact@consumercouncil.org.uk
Read more: Expert explains how to keep petrol and diesel costs down as prices rise in NI
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