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Oil heat still the best says Northern Ireland's oil industry
19th March 2004
As Northern Ireland natural gas customers reel from the latest 20% price hike from Phoenix, the oil industry states that it warned Ministers and officials up to two years ago that this scenario was inevitable.
David Blevings, Executive Director of the Northern Ireland Oil Federation said, "There is already well documented concern over future gas supplies as it is forecast that the UK will become a net importer of gas by 2010 and inevitably this will affect prices." " We raised this issue with local Ministers three years ago but they still pursued this "dash for gas". We now have the ironic position of former supporters of the gas network extension condemning these increases!"
"However we are more concerned at the local hike in prices when domestic customers in GB would appear to be hit by only a 6.9% increase by Centrica, the wholesale supplier blamed for the increase by Phoenix". We would have to ask the question; is the price rise more likely to do with Phoenix being sold last year to an English based PLC company who want to see a return on their £175 million pound investment?"
"Take-up of natural gas in Northern Ireland is less than 5% of all homes, some 22,000 of them Housing Executive houses where the tenants had no real say in their choice of home energy".
"The public must be made aware that despite the pledges of salespeople, switching to natural gas will not only incur substantial initial capital cost but further potential price hikes in the longer term. The last Salkent figures proved that oil is the most responsive of all fuels to the dynamics of the marketplace as it was the cheapest choice of home heating for local consumers in 2003." "With this further gas price rise, it would appear that the prudent home owner should continue to benefit from safe, efficient and economical oil home heat".
