Small Quantities Of Heating Oil

Updated October 2022

Buy Online! – Mail Order Suppliers of Heating Oil (Courier Delivery to all areas of the UK). Prices include the Container & Delivery.

Heating Oil Delivered to your door in Handy 20 Litre Containers 

100 litre and 200 Litre Quantities of Kerosene can also be delivered anywhere in the UK

Premium Paraffin is also available for delivery in 20 Litre Containers

My own experiences of trying to source small quantities of domestic 28 second heating oil began after I purchased a Corona Inverter Heater, in an effort find an alternative and cheaper form of heating to the only other alternative available to me – expensive electric heating. Whilst some owners of properties fueled by domestic heating oil may complain about the variable cost and sudden unpredictable price rises associated with volatile worldwide oil prices, I find that my inverter heater provides heat at a cost of 6p per KW/H (assuming 60p / litre for heating oil) compared to 12p for standard tariff electricity, and the inverter heater is 99% efficient, which is almost as efficient as electric heating (100%).

You may also have found this blog post when searching for small quantities of heating oil in order to top up a garden tank, or like most people perhaps you are being careful with expenditure and can only afford to top up your domestic heating oil with small quantities. Whatever your reason for reading this, the chances are is that you are struggling to find heating oil in small quantities and that all of the UK Heating Oil brokers, are only interested in orders of 500+ litres!.

I asked a few domestic heating oil delivery companies, exactly why there was a minimum order of 500 litres on a delivery, and the replies were varied, ranging from that it was to do with the accuracy of their measuring & dispensing equipment to it not being worth the expense of sending out a tanker to make a small delivery!. I replied to this excuse by stating quite truthfully that a delivery was made to both my immediately neighbour and also two addresses on the same road by their company, and I was more than happy to coincide my own delivery requirements at the same time as those deliveries to my neighbour, needless to say, I didn’t get a reply!.

I find it strange that there is some debate over the accuracy of dispensing and measuring equipment to the tune of making 500 litres a statutory required minimum delivery. After all, domestic heating oil users in Ireland also have to rely on brokers for their deliveries too, and they are at the mercy of similar measuring equipment and delivery costs, yet quantities as low as 200 litres are available from the majority of Irish delivery agents. Do they have some kind of special highly calibrated metering equipment that isn’t available in the UK?.

I just find it strange that heating oil is available quite routinely in small quantities over in Ireland, yet its forbidden below 500 litres over on the mainland UK!, in fact one of the Irish suppliers even offered me a delivery of 100 litres provided I was happy and agreeable for it to be made when their tanker was passing!, excellent service i’m sure that you will agree, but one which is distinctly lacking over on the mainland!.

Case in Point:-

Patterson Heating Oil Finney Brothers Fuels 4 you

These are just three random examples out of many heating oil delivery agents in Ireland who are happy to publicise that they can deliver small quantities of heating oil to their customers, something which is unheard of below 500 litres on the mainland UK. Which begs the question, if Irish customers are offered small quantity deliveries from as little as 140 litres, why exactly are we not given the same courtesy?, rip off Britain applies.

Some fuel brokers have started to offer 205 litre drums of Kerosene heating oil, but often these come at a substantial premium, and 205 litre drums are not easy to store or handle for domestic customers at residential addresses.

There are many reasons why a customer may only require a few hundred litres of heating oil, and the most obvious is fuel poverty and the cost of paying for a bulk delivery of heating oil in one payment. There are also a growing number of customers like myself who own portable paraffin inverter heaters and 500 litre minimum deliveries for us are overkill, as is the cost of buying and installing a bunded heating oil tank, this number is also likely to grow further as these inverter heaters become more and more popular in All Electric homes whilst the gap between the cost of Electric Heating and Paraffin begins to widen further.

Those seeking a Small Quantity of Heating oil, may find that there is quite a large ‘per litre’ premium for doing so, and you will often pay around 15p – 20p per litre difference for the same fuel when supplied from a pump in small quantities, compared to a direct tanker delivery for the same fuel from the same depot!!. I understand the need for adding a small margin to cover the running overheads when using the site, but 15p to 20p extra per litre could be considered profiteering , and you even have to serve yourself!.

If you are unable to source heating oil in small quantities locally, then Rye Oils have a UK Mail order delivery service for 20 litres – 400 litres, their prices may seem expensive but as well as paying a larger margin for buying in small quantities, you are also paying for a specialist carrier delivery service in order to deliver the fuel to your doorstep.

You can also obtain small quantities of heating oil from the following places, often this is dispensed from a pump, so with the majority of suppliers you will need to take your own containers. Prices often vary, so its worth phoning before travelling any distance.

A & B Oils – Online Ordering with Delivery By Courier to all areas of the UK

Stoddards Fuel Ltd, Greenhill Garage, Cheadle Staffs ST10 1JF – 01538 752 253

Crown Oil Ltd The Oil Centre, Bury New Road, Heap Bridge, Bury, BL9 7HY

Ego Fuel, Hoo Farm Industrial Estate Worcester Road, Kidderminster

NEW ERA FUELS, UNIT 6, TON 100 PARK, 2-4 MORLEY ROAD, TONBRIDGE TN9 1RA

This page is constantly being updated. If you know of a company who still sell heating oil directly from a site pump, or who are willing to deliver small amounts, then please leave a comment on the form below with the information,.

17 Responses to Small Quantities Of Heating Oil

  1. Lee Wade says:

    Thanks for all the information on this site. It gave me the impetus to buy an inverter heater for our conservatory. Finding fuel has been challenging, especially in the south of the country.

    I have found a local ish supplier to me in the Salisbury/Andover area. I bought some Kerosene (C2 Paraffin) at the beginning of December 2015 and paid 69 pence/litre from a pump on a petrol forecourt. There website is http://www.gerrishfuels.com/Fuels.html

    I also purchased one of the recommended fuel filters and I am using a Boiler Juice additive. It seems to burn very well with a healthy, lovely blue flame. I have both CO and CO2 alarms which have never shown even a small reading. As for smell, a slight smell when turned on or off, and to be honest I quite like it; no noticeable smell when running.

    Thanks again.

    Lee.

  2. admin says:

    Thank you for your feedback on the Inverter Heater, and also for listing a Supplier of Kero in your area. I am always looking for information like this on the blog, as it helps others who are having similar problems.

  3. Dill lammas says:

    Hi, Ego Fuel sell C2 from the pump at 54p a litre Hoo Farm Industrial Estate Worcester Road, Kidderminster. Just run out, want some more but he had ran out only stocks up when colder months on way. I use it in my Inverter heater burns just as good, A lot of companies rip you off charging 1. 50p a litre one place in Stourport sells at 1.50, but bulk 36p. Rye oils is a rip off you could buy it and sell it on at those prices and make a fortune people are so quick to grab what they think is a bargain.

  4. Ian Ferguson says:

    Kerosene, paraffin and heating oil, all available from pump.
    They also sell unused empty 25 litre containers, should you require them.

    Crown Oil Ltd
    The Oil Centre,
    Bury New Road,
    Heap Bridge,
    Bury,
    BL9 7HY

  5. RODGER PALMER says:

    NEW ERA FUELS, UNIT 6, TON 100 PARK, 2-4 MORLEY ROAD, TONBRIDGE TN9 1RA. KEROSENE AT THE PUMP IN SMALL QUANTITY’S .TAKE YOUR OWN CONTAINER OR THEY CAN SUPPLY YOU WITH ONE

  6. Emma says:

    Hi i wondered gow much you charge for small drums of heating oil?

  7. admin says:

    Hi Emma, I’m just a blogger, I don’t actually have a business selling heating oil. However if you use the links above, it will take you to current listings of heating oil vendors, who can arrange delivery of small quantities anywhere in the UK

  8. Geff Bergman says:

    I stumbled on this site while trying to find small quantities of heating oil at reasonable prices, I have been seriously thinking about starting a “buying club” utilising a 1000L tank thats sited in my garden in Hertfordshire, membership would be say £20 a year, for that you get to fill your own 20L container and then any further 20L containers that year at £10 per fill, to make it work I think a limit of 10 members with each member having a max allocation of say 100L per year? Obviously if you dont want 100L a year thats ok it would alow a surplus “pool” for members who want more to buy. My thinking with a 100L limit is to keep it as a “club” and not get involved with commercial business issues, anyway just an idea, what do folks think? regards Geff

  9. Darren Groves says:

    A and B Oils sell and deliver 20l containers of kerosene and will courier them anywhere in the uk, inc Scotland Wales and incredibly the Isle of Wight where I live. It’s a bit more expensive than normal but since our only oil depot closed recently,( and they would fill up 20l containers for me) it’s impossible to get over here on the island in small quantities. They advertise 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 200 and 300l and tanker loads as well. In fact any quantity 20l upwards. Great blog, inspired me to buy 3 inverter heaters, old thatched property, no gas in village, all electric and had to give up solid fuel/wood burner as thatch insurance went ridiculously expensive if you burnt wood or solid fuel and used a chimney. Never had the house so warm so quickly as we do now👍

  10. admin says:

    Hi Geff

    On the surface that looks like a good idea, and i’m all in favour of bringing down the cost of small quantities of Kero for users of these heaters to that more in line with bulk deliveries, as some of the prices charged by the same brokers of bulk deliveries at the pump are ludicrous, especially given the slump in oil prices currently. One word of caution though, make sure that doing this doesn’t make you a fuel supplier or broker in the eyes of HMRC, as some of their rules are very quirky so an email to them asking the question and explaining your intention should be at the top of your list. If you get the go ahead, don’t forget to advertise here, and also Gumtree and local community facebook groups can be a good source of members for this type of club.

  11. Phil pocock says:

    A good method of getting small volume of domestic heating oil ( gas oil) is to source it from canal & river Boatyard’s or marinas.
    There are two prices one for propulsion & a lesser amount for heating you simply declare & sign that it’s for heating to get it at the lower price.
    20 litre Jerry cans are ideal carriers.
    You can even purchase it from working boats who still trade fuel oil solid fuels etc.

  12. Cathryn Pearson says:

    I have been trying to find kerosene at the pump in North Lincolnshire for about 5 years now and as yet have not found any, just wondered if anybody has come across any, would be grateful for any information

  13. Tim Lodge says:

    Heating Oil Today – Emergency Oil Delivery – Essex, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire & Hertfordshire ( 7 days a week )

    We will deliver from 200 Litres of domestic heating oil – We also have a click & collect service from our unit in Chelmsford, Essex.

    https://heatingoiltoday.co.uk/

  14. Igors says:

    Now a litre of paraffin costs around 2 pounds per litre. And gas costs 10.5 per kWh. Could you tell me is it worth to use Paraffin Heater instead of Gas Central Heating? I heard that a lot of kWh are wasted when you started your central boiler, but with Paraffin Heater you will have working condition in 5 minutes. So cost now is 20p per kWh and 10.5 per kWh. I am still thinking that parafine heater will be more economical than Gas Central Heating even if it costs more. Am I right?

  15. admin says:

    Hi

    A litre of Paraffin / Kerosene produces 10.3 KWH worth of heat for each litre of fuel, so an easy method of cost calculation is to simply round this down to 10, and then divide your fuel buy price by 10 to get the per kwh price for the heat produced. In your case, £2 per litre would produce a running cost 20p per KW/H which is just under twice the cost of Gas at 10.5p KWH

    There are other factors to consider, these heaters have no flue or connection to the outside world, so they can probably be deemed to be close to 100% efficient as there is no heat lost through the flue.

    Like many others I run all of my heaters on domestic heating oil or 28 second kerosene – risks and loss of warranty in doing so accepted and well documented in my post. Currently I buy heating oil for £1.05p litre which is 10.5p per KWH and so on parity with Gas, however with the Paraffin heater being 100% efficient that would still give a small cost advantage over a 90% efficient modern Gas Boiler, and an even bigger advantage if the Gas Boiler was old, and only 70 or 80% efficient.

    Even at 20p per KWH for Paraffin, it may still work out to be cost effective for you to heat one room with a Paraffin Heater, as opposed to heating the entire house using the GCH. But lots of factors would come into play, such as the age and efficiency of your boiler, and its Gas Input consumption. You would also of course have to factor in the cost of purchasing the heater in the first place, and the length of the payback period, in relation to any saving on Gas.

    Also all references to Paraffin heater in my reply, assume the use of a modern inverter style paraffin heater with built in safety devices and CO2 monitoring. I wouldn’t recommend or encourage using an old style conventional paraffin heater designed for shed or Greenhouse use, in a house or flat.

  16. Dave Hindley says:

    Hi is 28 second paraffin alright in the laser inverters.

  17. Steve Turner says:

    A brilliant article, I enjoyed reading it. I just bought a diesel heater for my workshop & have since found out that these things also run on Kerosene aka heating oil. I’ve been trying to source a local supplier where I could go with a couple of jerry cans & fill up, say, 40 litres. There isn’t a single place anywhere near me that sells small quantities. I also looked into red diesel in small quantities & I managed to find a local supplier. The minimum purchase from the local supplier was 4 x 25 litre containers… at 12p per litre more than the local filling station! It all seems a bit odd.

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