As autumn begins, many rural households face a decision they cannot put off indefinitely: when to order the fuel they need for winter and how to pay for it.

ACRE reports that heating oil cost around 61p per litre before the conflict in the Middle East. By 30 September, it was £1.07 per litre, a rise of around 74% in seven months. That puts a 1,000-litre delivery at approximately £1,070, over £400 more than in February. For a household that has to pay for its oil in bulk, this is a substantial sum to find at once.

This matters across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. House of Commons Library estimates show that 34.6% of households in South Cambridgeshire and 26.3% in Ely and East Cambridgeshire are off the gas grid. These homes may use heating oil, LPG or electricity, but they cannot rely on mains gas. The Commons Library dashboard provides figures for every constituency.

Through our CHESS energy support project, we have seen what an oil delivery means in practice. One resident told us that, after receiving oil, they could put the heating on without worrying about having no hot water. Another described the difference it made for her daughter to have a hot shower and a warm room in which to revise.

Community buildings face these costs too. Earlier this year, Comberton Village Institute Trust told us it had used approximately 2,500 litres of oil over a year at a cost of about £1,300. At the prices it faced in March, trustees estimated that the same amount would cost around £3,600. That was an estimate made at the time, but it shows the scale of the challenge for volunteers trying to keep a hall warm and affordable for local groups.

“When the price of heating oil rises, it is a family wondering whether they can afford to fill the tank before winter, or village hall trustees trying to keep their doors open without raising charges for local groups. Add the cost of essential journeys, and rural households are being squeezed from several directions.” Hayley Neal, Chief Executive, Cambridgeshire ACRE

Diesel has reached £2 a litre at some forecourts. In rural areas, driving is often how people get to work, buy groceries, attend medical appointments or visit family. Those journeys become harder to afford alongside a large winter heating bill.

Cambridgeshire ACRE has written to local MPs ahead of the 28 October Budget to share the evidence behind these concerns. Rural households, and the community spaces that support them, need to be considered when decisions are made about energy costs.

Tell us what you are seeing

If rising heating oil, LPG or travel costs are affecting you or a community building you help run, please email enquiries@cambsacre.org.uk. Your experiences will help us show what these costs mean locally.

If you need help with the cost of heating oil now, Cambridgeshire County Council lists the local route to apply for support.