Towards the end of last year, a vast sea of households had gone lengthy periods without heating and hot water – all this due to delays in liquid petroleum gas (LPG) being delivered to customers.
What Did LPG Delivery Delays Mean For Customers?
This meant that homes could not heat their homes, cook food, or use hot water during a particularly harsh bout of cold weather. Many homes were even forced to shut off their heating in the winter months of December and January.
The reason for these delays where attributed to several factors:
- Supply chains were disrupted: an international recovery was taking place after the impact of Covid-19 as well as the war in Ukraine worsening the situation in terms of production and distribution.
- Demand was huge: understandably, the winter months breed an increase in demand for LPG. 2023 saw an unexpected and lengthy cold spell that caught suppliers by surprise.
- Labour was down: the country’s logistics faced a blow to its labour force, with many shortages in the HGV driver’s sector.
- Transport was nearly impossible: the harsh weather at the end of the year, which included heavy snow and even destructive flooding in some regions, hindered deliveries. In some regions, delivery trucks could not reach remote areas.
What Did the Impacted Homes Do to Deal with the Issue?
For many, enough was enough. It was time to make a change for the better and they found the answer to their problems through the ECO4 scheme which allowed them to switch to renewable energy sources for free, receiving upgrades to their homes including modern energy-efficient heating systems, property insulation, and even solar panels.
This year winter has the potential to be a repeat of the last and maybe even worse. If this is the case, a huge delay in LPG deliveries should be expected. Considering the free government energy upgrades would be the best way of combating this potential harsh weather that could cause delays to your LPG delivery yet again.
- The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4): Get energy upgrades for your home including, upgraded heating methods, solar panels, and insulation.
- The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) – This voucher scheme could see you receive £7,500 towards a air source heat pump, replacing your old inefficient method of heating, like heating oil.
- The Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) – Install energy-efficient insulation in your home’s solid and cavity walls as well as loft to save money on your energy bills.
- Solar and Battery Lease Packages – From as little as £50 a month, you can own solar panels. You will create your own electricity to power your new heating system and save money while doing it.
