Heating Oil Price NI: £963.90 for 900L, Double a Year Ago

Heating oil in Northern Ireland has eased for three weeks running, but it still costs twice what it did this time last year, which is the backdrop for anyone weighing up how hard to lean on a stove this winter. This week also brought a cheap cordless mini chainsaw turned away at the UK border, and a new €2,000 boiler scrappage grant south of the border that the stove trade is watching closely.

Heating oil in Northern Ireland: £963.90 for 900 litres, double last October

The Consumer Council for Northern Ireland’s weekly survey put the average price of 900 litres of home heating oil at £963.90 on 8 October 2026. A year earlier, on 9 October 2025, the same order averaged £474.68, so the price has more than doubled. A 500 litre order averaged £542.09, against £271.17 a year ago, and 300 litres averaged £335.58, against £171.55.

The rise came in one jump. On 26 February the 900 litre average was £536.72; a week later, on 5 March, it was £948.41. It peaked at £1,088.71 on 9 April, fell back to £615.23 by 2 July, then climbed again to £1,007.16 on 17 September. This week’s figure is £43.26 below that September high and £8.64 down on last week’s £972.54.

Why it matters: in rural Northern Ireland a stove is often the second heat source in an oil-fired house, and every litre it saves is now worth twice what it was. The survey is a snapshot of quoted prices on the day, so your own supplier may sit above or below it. To see whether logs beat oil at your prices, run them through the firewood heat comparison calculator, then cost a season with the wood burner running cost calculator. The saving only holds if the wood is dry: what moisture should firewood be explains why. Source: Consumer Council for Northern Ireland, heating oil price archive.

Mini electric chainsaw rejected at the border for an unguarded chain

On 8 October the Office for Product Safety and Standards published a report on the Y Kall Mini Electric Chainsaw, a small hand-held battery saw with a 6 inch bar, made in China. Its guard does not automatically stop the chain when it touches an object, which leaves the user exposed to the moving chain and a risk of cuts. It also came with a non-compliant plug that could expose live parts and give an electric shock. OPSS rated the risk serious, and the import was rejected at the border, so this batch did not reach UK buyers.

Why it matters: mini cordless saws are sold heavily online for cutting up branches and small logs, and many are unbranded imports. Before buying one, check it carries a UK or EU conformity mark, comes from a seller with a UK address, and that the charger has a proper UK plug. For most stove owners a log splitter or a good axe does more of the winter’s work, and our guide to using an electric log splitter safely covers the basics. Source: OPSS product safety report 2607-0053.

Ireland opens a €2,000 boiler scrappage grant; solid fuel’s place is unclear

Ireland’s Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O’Brien, announced on 29 September a package of grants run by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, opening from 6 October. It includes a €2,000 scrappage payment for fossil fuel heating systems in homes built before 2021, aimed at moving households onto heat pumps and other renewable heating. Homeowners whose heat pump application is already in progress get the €2,000 added automatically. The government says full terms and eligibility details will follow.

Why it matters: this applies in the Republic of Ireland, not Northern Ireland or Great Britain. The open question for stove owners is whether “fossil fuel heating” ends up covering solid fuel. The Stove Industry Association said on 30 September that Irish media reports suggest it could, and argued that a modern Ecodesign stove should not be treated the same as an open fire or an old stove. Nothing is confirmed yet. If you are on the island and thinking of replacing an old stove, wait for SEAI’s published terms before ripping anything out. Sources: SEAI, gov.ie and Stove Industry Association.