All practical guides
Heating oil suppliers and your rights: the CMA’s September 2026 letter
On 10 September 2026 the CMA warned heating oil suppliers that their contract terms must be fair. At the 2021 Census 17.3% of Norfolk households heated with oil alone.
On 10 September 2026 the Competition and Markets Authority published an open letter to domestic heating oil suppliers. It reminds them that the terms in their contracts with consumers must be fair and transparent under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and it singles out clauses that remove or reduce a supplier’s liability when it fails to deliver or delivers late. That matters more in Norfolk than in most of England: at the 2021 Census, 17.3% of Norfolk households heated their homes with oil alone, against 3.2% across England.
This page covers what the CMA found, what the letter says, and what to do if an order goes wrong. For prices, tanks and choosing a supplier, see our Norfolk oil heating buyer’s guide.
What happened in the spring
Heating oil prices jumped after the conflict in the Middle East began. The CMA’s figures put the average price in England at 65p a litre in February 2026 and 103p in March. Across the UK the average peaked at 123p in April, then fell back to 104p in May.
On 11 March the CMA said it was looking at two kinds of complaint: orders cancelled and then re-quoted at much higher prices, and price rises on automatic top-up deliveries. It opened a consumer protection review of the heating oil market that month.
On 28 August it reported the result. Some suppliers had cancelled orders for hundreds of customers who had ordered through an intermediary website. Those customers got refunds, but many then paid more for replacement oil, which the CMA estimated at £150 to £350 extra, and some went without. The suppliers agreed to compensate them. Customers who bought replacement oil will be paid the difference, on evidence such as a receipt and delivery note; those who did not will have the original order honoured at the agreed price. The CMA said around 800 customers had already been told, and that eligible customers will be contacted directly. The case is still open.
What the letter says
The letter does not change the law. It restates Part 2 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which covers unfair terms and notices in consumer contracts, whether written down or not. An unfair term is not binding on the consumer. The supplier cannot rely on it and may have to repay money taken under it, while the rest of the contract still binds the supplier. The CMA, and Trading Standards, can take enforcement action to stop unfair terms, and that can lead to financial penalties.
The CMA wrote because it expected suppliers either to have clauses limiting their liability for failing to deliver “on time or at all”, or to be drafting new ones after the disruption. Its guidance on those clauses comes down to a few tests. A term is less likely to be fair if it excludes all liability for non-delivery or delay whether or not the supplier is at fault, or if it lets the supplier choose whether to deliver while the customer stays bound. It is more likely to be fair if it says exactly when it applies, covers only events outside the control of the supplier and its delivery firm, explains any phrase like “force majeure”, and does not let the supplier refuse compensation when the fault is its own. The supplier should also have to tell you before relying on the term, and let you cancel without penalty.
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Reading your supplier’s terms
Most suppliers publish their terms on their website or send them with the order confirmation. Look for the clause on what happens if the price moves between order and delivery, the clause on delivery times, and any clause headed “liability”, “delays” or “force majeure”. Hold each one against the CMA’s tests above. A clause that lets the supplier cancel your order and keep a fee, or excuses it from any delay for any reason, is the kind the CMA has told suppliers is unlikely to be fair.
If your order goes wrong
- Write to the supplier. Email gives you a record. Ask for delivery by a set date or a full refund. Under section 28 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, if no delivery date was agreed the oil must arrive without undue delay and within 30 days. If it is late you can set a further reasonable deadline, and if that passes you can end the contract; the supplier must then refund everything you paid without undue delay. If the supplier refused to deliver, or you told it before ordering that the date was essential, you can end the contract straight away.
- If that fails, call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Its advisers can pass your complaint to Trading Standards, which you cannot do yourself. In Norfolk, Trading Standards is run by Norfolk County Council.
- If you paid by credit card and the order cost more than £100 and no more than £30,000, section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes the card company liable with the supplier. Claim from the card company.
- If you paid by debit card, ask your bank for a chargeback. It is a card-scheme rule, not a legal right, and the schemes set time limits, so ask soon.
- The last resort is a county court claim, which you can make online at gov.uk. The fee is £35 for a claim up to £300, £50 for up to £500, £70 for up to £1,000 and £80 for up to £1,500.
What the letter does not cover
It does not cap prices. The letter is about the terms of a contract once you have one. Heating oil is not covered by the Ofgem price cap, and a supplier can change its quoted price for new orders whenever the market moves. What an unfair term cannot do is let it take your money and then walk away from the order.
If you ordered through a comparison site, a buying group or a village oil club, check whose terms you accepted and who took the payment. The customers in the CMA’s case had ordered through an intermediary site. Your contract is with the business named in the terms, and that is who you pursue.
The sums are not small. BoilerJuice’s average kerosene price on 24 September 2026 was 117.14p a litre, so a 1,000-litre delivery costs about £1,170.
Related reading
The Norfolk oil heating buyer’s guide covers kerosene prices, tank rules and choosing a supplier. If you are thinking of leaving oil, our guide to the £9,000 heat pump grant for oil-heated Norfolk homes explains the Boiler Upgrade Scheme rate for off-gas homes, which runs to 31 March 2027.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I complain about a Norfolk oil supplier?
To the supplier first, in writing. If that gets nowhere, call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133; it can refer the complaint to Norfolk County Council Trading Standards.
Can I refuse to pay if delivery is late?
If you have not paid, you can hold back payment until the oil arrives. If you have paid and the supplier misses a delivery deadline you have set, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 lets you end the contract and get all your money back. A clause claiming to take that right away is unlikely to be binding.
Does this cover buying-club orders?
Your rights run against whoever you have the contract with. If you accepted the supplier’s terms and paid the supplier, it is the supplier. If you paid a club organiser or a website, check their terms to see who the seller is.
Is the CMA capping heating oil prices?
No. The September 2026 letter is about fair contract terms. It does not set or cap prices.
Sources
The letter: Heating oil suppliers: using fair terms and conditions, Competition and Markets Authority, published on gov.uk on 10 September 2026. The CMA’s case page (Heating oil review: consumer protection enforcement case) and its press releases of 11 March and 28 August 2026, which give the price figures and compensation terms. The law: Consumer Rights Act 2015, Part 2 and section 28, and Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75, on legislation.gov.uk. Helpline details from Citizens Advice; court fees from gov.uk. Household heating from the 2021 Census (table TS046) and the kerosene price from BoilerJuice. This is general information on the regulator’s letter, not legal advice.
James Ward, Property and Money Editor, Norfolk Living Guide. Last checked 24 September 2026.
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