Energy Minister Calls In UK's Biggest Suppliers to Push Debt Relief for Households Ahead of Winter as Heating Oil Costs Double

An energy minister called bosses of Great Britain's biggest energy companies to a meeting this week as part of the government's debt relief plan, telling them to do more to help households tackle unpaid energy bills before the winter deepens. The intervention followed separate coverage of acute distress among households reliant on heating oil, particularly in rural areas of south-east England not connected to the gas mains. Residents in East Sussex described oil bills doubling since the start of 2026, with one woman taking on an extra waitress job to pay for heating oil and another household going without heating entirely. A 1,000-litre tank fill was reported to cost more than £970. Jon Reardon, director of Rye Oil, a south-east England supplier serving around 15,000 residents, said oil prices had on average doubled since the conflict in the Middle East began, with customers delaying orders as long as possible. The issue was debated in Westminster, with energy minister Polly Billington stating the government was reforming the heating oil sector, holding suppliers to account, and working to give consumers confidence in fair pricing. The government has separately pledged £53m in support for vulnerable households on heating oil and removed a 4% tariff on home heating oil. The broader context is a government debt relief programme requiring energy suppliers to assist customers carrying unpaid bills.