Heating oil customers to get compensation after price hikes

Heating oil customers who had their orders cancelled and prices raised when the US-Israel war with Iran broke out will get compensation, the competition watchdog has said.

Some 1,700 households were forced to “re-order at significantly higher prices or go without fuel” costing them up to £350, the Competition Markets Authority (CMA) said.

Some suppliers have agreed to compensate customers and the regulator is planning legal action against those who have so far refused to do so, it added.

The UK and Ireland Fuel Distribution Association (UKIFDA), which represents heating oil suppliers, said “there were a small number of cases found which require redress”.

Wholesale oil prices jumped from around $70 a barrel at the start of Iran war in February to almost $120 a barrel by the end of March as the conflict disrupted the transportation and production of energy in the region.

UK heating oil prices also jumped around this time. The CMA said on Wednesday that “average retail prices were, at their peak, 92% higher”.

The CMA’s investigation into the heating oil market found the price increases after the Iran war largely reflected rising wholesale costs and suppliers have not profited materially from the crisis.

However, it concluded heating oil customers are not as well protected as those connected to the energy grid.