Let’s introduce you to the Covington Oil Buying Group

As the recent co-ordinator of this group, I thought you might like to know about the changes to our oil buying, as a group without a designated co-ordinator... Orders from the group invariably get a better rate than individual orders. As this syndicate now operates a Group Email scheme, ANY members can make contact to see if others also need oil. ANY of you can initiate an oil delivery for others in the group. So you should never be left out in the cold!

The more you order, as a group, the keener the price will be! Anyone in the group can instigate an order on behalf of other members, so you don’t need to wait until the whole group need oil. Just send the group an email and see how many others need a delivery. You can also work to get a deal that if the quoted price for heating oil (kerosene) goes down before delivery, a condition of any of us placing a group order is that we will get the lower price! Ideally we need a combined village delivery of between 5,000 and 10,000 litres each time to command the best possible rates, without resorting to joining another more distant or fragmented group that may be commission led or require a membership fee. Our group provides a free service!

The usual delivery tanker to the village will hold 10,500 – 18,000 litres, so you can see that its economic for the oil supplier to have one tanker deliver to the area, all on one day. That’s how they can offer us the best rates. It’s also better for the environment. Obviously, the more that come on board for any given delivery, the better, but it is a fact of life that we all have different sized tanks and use our oil at different rates, so we won’t all need oil at the same time. 500 litre top-ups can help as much as full deliveries of over 1000 litres to get us a good price.

As a voluntary group, we simply make would-be suppliers tender very competitive prices, so the more who order through the Covington Oil Buying Group, the more everyone benefits. Also, any of the group members can watch Brent Crude prices to see if prices are falling or rising and instigate a timely order. Everyone can benefit from the shared knowledge and experience, where for example, prices might start rising because of the weather, world conflicts or just increased demand. The MINIMUM DELIVERY to your house is 500 litres. There is no maximum, as they will just send our oil delivery out in an appropriate sized tanker, so farmers can benefit, too. The group has also previously arranged Gas Oil deliveries to our local farms. This is known as red diesel.

Payment is usually by card, over the phone, direct with the supplying oil company, unless you already have a credit account. In this way, the group does not need to hold any of your payment details, just your phone numbers. We do not recommend you open an account as this may tie you in to less than beneficial prices, with just one supplier. Although your payment details are taken by the most competitive supplier each time before delivery, you will only be charged for the actual amount you receive, so if you were to “pay” for 1000 litres and they could only get 800 in your tank, ultimately you will only be charged for 800 litres, as per the tanker’s meter. The delivery driver will leave you a copy. They do not need to keep your payment details on file.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE

From a data and operations perspective new 2024 Oil Buying Group mailing list works in the same way as the regular residents one, using the same system (ZEN). With the exception of your telephone number which will be managed separately by Simon Peck. Zen doesn't need that for emailing but Simon does need it for contacting you direct, should the need arise. To send and receive emails to and from the group you'll need to subscribe to the group. Note that it's possible to send emails to the group as a non member and they will appear as 'sent' in your sent box.  However, they will be 'held' by the system and not released to the group, so nobody will see them.

1. Email Simon Peck and include your daytime phone number
2. Simon will notify Jo Bigger, who will not receive your daytime phone number (unless you choose to copy her in initially)
3. Once set up you'll receive an automated notification form the system
4. Click on that to confirm subscription
5. Unsubscribe at any time using an unsubscribe link, or notify Simon Peck/Jo Bigger who will arrange it.

oilgroup@covington.org.uk

SUMMARY

• Join the email group by following the directions above
• Let the group know if & when you need a delivery so others can join in
• If your driveway will only take a small tanker, please let the supplier know. They will record your address for delivery
• The group can buy Kero heating oil, as well as Gasoil (red diesel) for farm use
• There are no fixed delivery dates. Just whenever there’s a need within the group, so do let the group know if you need oil. Others may want to join you!
• We do need you to join in, please, as it will help with the group’s future and buying power – so please spread the word
• With anyone being able to instigate an order, we can make sure that no one runs out and we all get the best prices each time. See Recommended Suppliers below
• By developing good relationships with our suppliers, we get preferential treatment, too. Even emergency deliveries
• We can share experiences of good (or bad) oil servicing companies and oil engineers, too. Personal recommendation is so important, isn’t it?

If anyone has any problem with ordering through the syndicate (like tanker access on the delivery day or paying in advance for their delivery), let the group know so we can find ways it can work for all of us and allay any concerns. It's frustrating when there are insufficient volumes to obtain the best possible price, so if you need a delivery, please be sure to tell the group how many litres you need and see who else could join you on the next order. Once the group has responded, you can call our recommended suppliers for the best competitive price and everyone can benefit. Thank you!

On behalf of the Covington Oil Buying Group

Simon Peck
07513 478488
simon.peck@covington.org.uk

RECOMMENDED SUPPLIERS

Barton Petroleum - 01933 224 317 (Mark Gamble)
Bedford Fuels - 01234 581 090 (Steve or Paul)
Boiler Juice - 01480 775 454 (Claire)
Butler Fuels, CERTAS - 0345 600 4040 (Katie Brown or Andrew Cooper)
Conquest Oil, NRG - 01525 402 209 (Darinda or Kerry)
SS Motors - 0800 083 7863 or 01354 693 181 (Lara or Rachel)
Watson Fuels - 01223 846 846 (Steven)