Emergency Oil

Some service stations sell 20 litre containers of kerosene that you can use should you need oil in a hurry.

These containers are labelled "emergency oil" and it is not difficult to see why - they can retail at twice the price per litre than what a distributor might charge.

Considering that the average price per litre in October 2008 was 47p a litre (for orders of 900 litres) and that included a supplier making a profit and a driver delivering it and filling your tank for you then £1 a litre for a diy plastic container can seem excessive.

However, for around £20 (October 2008 quote), a 20 litre container can keep your home warm while you wait for your delivery to arrive. When you can be charged £15 to have your boiler bled should you need it after running out completely then shelling out £10 more for oil might not be so bad.

Please remember that the prices quoted here are an example only at the time the article was written and will vary.

Emergency Oil directory

We would like to build up a list of places where you can get emergency oil
So if you know of any, get in touch and we will try to list them

Northern Ireland

Nicholl Oils - huge list of locations throughout Northern Ireland
OutOfOil.co.uk - a number of places around Belfast supplied by Colinglen Fuels
Niall Clarke Oils - emergency drums at any Niall Clarke Service Station
Morgan Fuels sell 20 litre emergency drums at their offices at 254 Dublin Road Newry. They also have a pump so you can take back empty drums and refill them if needed.
McGinleys Gas and Oil have a home heating oil pump on their forecourt on the Buncrana road. This is available from 6am to 11pm, seven days a week.