Price of domestic fuel

[Wilbro]

I decided to order some oil today the price per litre hovering around 1.8 euros per litre. I rang our normal supplier who said there is a 3 weeks delay due to the war. My then obvious question was "what will the price be then?" Obviously she can't answer that but they will ring before delivery to see if it's still wanted. If it goes to $300 dollars a barrel I think I'll be saying no thanks.

We have an old wood burning insert which backs up the central heating and I'm seriously thinking of upgrading it to include blowers and the ability to "bank up" overnight. Anyone any recommendations. Would want 12.5Kw.

[Sparkle]

Is there a website to check oil prices for heating?

[elsie]

Just search for fioul prix france and you will get a list of web sites giving prices (the price can vary from area to area and delivery date)
This web site also has a general evolution of fuel oil prices https://www.fioulmarket.fr/evolution-prix-fioul

[Wilbro]

I'm wondering if there is a shortage/delay on domestic fuel or are our suppliers holding current stocks to benefit from further hike prices in the future. I may try a different supplier to test this.

[exile]

I cannot answer that one for you @Wilbro but I imagine that the French refineries have had to ease back production because of a lack of Russian oil. *

It sounds to the general public that that should not be a problem - just get some from Saudi or Qatar or...
It is however not that easy. Oil comes in a variety of styles and qualities. Brent Crude - top of the range - is very fluid and has few impurities. At the other extreme Venezuelan crude is more like tar even asphalt - very viscous with a lot of impurities. You have to heat it just to get it out of the storage tanks and into the refining columns.

Each refinery will be set up to run a specific mix of oils and if that mix changes by more than a few percent then the refining conditions have to be changed - something that is not always easy to do. That change can easily lead to the operation being less than optimal and outputs will fall. It stays that way until an equivalent alternative supply can be found.

* I am not party to the oil mixes that refineries use (or used when I was in the industry) but it is notable that Total, unlike Shell and BP, is not withdrawing from its Russian operations and it may be that its refineries are heavily wedded to this quality. Pure speculation but somewhat educated speculation.

[Sparkle]

@elsie Elsie thanks for the link. My neighbours are coming over shortly and have asked me if I would order their fioul and asked me the price per litre - of course I don't have a clue as I don't use fioul!

[MAD87]

@exile Thank you for that very informative and interesting analysis.

[ajm]

We had a delivery of wood mid February. Just ordered another -the price has gone up about 13%. Not surprising as their fuel costs will have rocketed like everybodys

[MAD87]

I don't know whether stored domestic fuel has the same constraints as its gas equivalent, but unless you own the storage tank, you're "tied" to the company which installed and owns it. Or has this changed?

[niemeyjt]

I would also add that you should check whether your fioul is contaminated with biodiesel as road diesel is. If so, beware of stocking up now for next winter - otherwise you may have a tank of filter-clogging diesel bugs.