Fuel poverty in England is likely to worsen, despite measures to try to eradicate it, a government-commissioned report has warned. Some 7.8 million people could not afford their energy bills in 2009, its author, Prof John Hills said. This is due to rise to 8.5 million by 2016.

Campaigners have called for more money to be invested in cutting bills.

The government has said it is committed to tackling the problem which has been linked to 2,700 deaths a year. "Fuel poverty is a se .... [ Read the full article ]

Heating oil customers are being warned to be careful about ordering through scam websites. They demand payment upfront, usually by bank transfer, and then they fail to deliver.

Police are investigating at least 50 different cases from across the country. Industry insiders believe the true scale of the problem could be much greater. The price of heating oil varies from region to region, and month to month. But roughly, people pay somewhere between 54 and 62 pence per litre of oil, and orde .... [ Read the full article ]

It has been urged by many campaigners and charities that the VAT on household energy bills should be scrapped if there is to be any hope of preventing pensioners from choosing between heating and eating.

Over the course of February it has been reported by the NHS Information Centre that hypothermia deaths in Britain doubled since the beginning of the credit crisis, of which three quarters of those affected are aged 60 or over.

Last year saw 1,900 people suffering from hypot .... [ Read the full article ]

Where would you go to find a great deal? Big businesses? With the size and buying power to purchase in bulk and sell it on to us at lower cost. Online maybe? Waiting for that elusive deal that must come round again in the daily email.

Over recent times there has been renewed interest in the idea of buying together. Collective purchasing involves organised groups of like-minded people clubbing together to achieve better value or access to better quality by bargaining for goods in .... [ Read the full article ]

The price of crude oil has reached an eight month high, driven upwards by concern over the effect of oil sanctions on Iran, the world's third largest producer.

Benchmark US light crude oil rose 1.7% to $105.01 a barrel and Brent Crude futures rose to $120.72 a barrel.

There's concern that rising oil prices could exacerbate inflation problems in some countries, particular Asia, as Frederic Neumann, a senior economist at HSBC explains.

.... [ Read the full article ]

The Administrators of Petroplus Refining & Marketing Limited, owners of the Coryton Oil Refinery, have announced a lifeline for the beleaguered refinery, after signing an agreement to ensure crude oil deliveries for the next 3 months

The agreement has been signed with a collaboration of Morgan Stanley Capital Group Inc., KKR Asset Management, LLC, and AtlasInvest.  The arrangement allows the refinery to operate as normal, whilst the feasibility of a permanent solution for the ref .... [ Read the full article ]