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Over on the chook forum we have been discussing the price of heating oil and have a semi-jokey competition on-going to see who will be the last to turn on their heating this year. We may very well be the winners as Iain has muttered something along the lines of “It’s not going on until Hell freezes over” so it will either be us – or the girl who recently moved to New Zealand who wins. Watch this space.
We had stopped our direct debit to the oil company for a while. I think it was because they owed us money. While the DD was stopped we weren’t included in their *when we are in the area we will top up your tank no matter how little or much you need* package. It was always handy when we were in it because we never had to think about keeping an eye on the oil level.
Then when the DDs started again they decided to put us back on the package – without telling us – and one day we arrived home to find we somehow had a full tank of oil and a docket through the door for £800. We are now totally paranoid about oil thefts.
Because of this we are determined NOT to put the heating on. At FOUR times the cost of previous fills we are hoping this will last four times as long so have to use it four times less . . .
So, no, we haven’t had the heating on since about April.
The neighbours have. I have heard their boiler coming on in the middle of the day when I have been outside in a tee shirt, and for hours when they aren’t even in the house! Dude! Don’t they have extra jumpers?