Community co-operation & CO2 reduction From the start of the pandemic , as rainbows appeared in nearly every window , you only had to take a short stroll in the UK to see signs of the community coming together , and this was similarly evident in the industry .
Bathgate-based Johnston Oils took to social media recently to share how they are helping communities save money when buying fuel by coordinating local oil clubs , thus reducing the amount of delivery journeys , and therefore emissions , on our roads . A spokesperson for the company said ;
“ By bringing communities together and coordinating them to order in bulk , we have helped thousands of households save money on their fuel costs . In addition to saving customers money , it also helps reduce traffic on rural roads .”
Rob Maynard , CFO , BoilerJuice also shared some of the ways in which the company is helping its customers offset the carbon footprint of their heating through UK-based approved forestry schemes ;
“ So far this year we ’ ve funded 6 hectares of new forest that will deal with around 3,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions as they grow .”
When asked about the current proposals for renewable home heating alternatives , Rob commented ;
“ At current oil prices , even with government grants , alternative heating systems like air-source heat pumps are not a good deal for the vast majority of oil households but there are plenty out there trying to convince people anyway .
“ We are trying to provide impartial advice to guide our customers to the right solution for them , whether it ’ s biofuels , heat pumps or some new alternative that isn ’ t even designed yet . Our hope is that government and the industry find a way to support the transition to lower-carbon solutions that work for oil households – allowing them to stay warm without increased expense or inconvenience .”
Digtial solutions With so many working from home , suppliers providing remote access services have been the ‘ go to ’ to keep the industry moving .
Oil tank telemetry provider Kingspan , has recently consolidated its position at the cutting-edge of the smart energy revolution . Its Watchman SENSiT , now available free with all Kingspan tanks , monitors fuel levels and transmits this information via Kingspan ’ s secure Connect Sensor platform through to distributors and their customers . This gives the potential for remote access to individual oil tank data .
This level of connectivity has delivered major operational benefits by improving route planning and reducing delivery frequency . It has also allowed distributors to lower carbon emissions , achieve their emissions scope targets and improve customer retention .
“ We are focussing on equipping FODs with intelligent , next generation , fuel storage solutions to allow them to harness their data and make it work for them ” says Nick Hawkins , Kingspan ’ s commercial director UK & Ireland .
“ Our distributor partners tell us that the only time they make money is when they are pumping . Kingspan smart monitoring gives them full visibility and control of customer fuel usage , allowing them to optimise their journey planning and thereby lower their operational costs . Meanwhile Kingspan SENSiT technology adds another layer of security for customers , safeguarding their supplies by sending push notifications alerting them to sudden drops in oil levels , as a result of a leak or theft .
“ Their customers no longer need to be concerned about monitoring stocks or even remembering to order replenishments – the technology means it ’ s all done for them . It ’ s a win , win situation .”
Similarly , Fuelsoft saw a big increase in the uptake for its web ordering platform since the pandemic took hold . Neil commented ;
“ I think the switch to online sales is being driven from both the fuel companies themselves , due to the reduced number of members of staff available to take calls and the importance of having the capacity to take orders , but also from the customers , as online shopping is now becoming the norm for the majority of purchases .
“ We have also seen an uptake in the use of our Application Programmers Interface ( API ), as through the use of the API , our customers can form their own unique selling points by offering something that is specific and custom to them , making them that bit different to the competition .”
As we move towards winter , and ever closer to the net zero deadline , we look forward to keeping our finger on the pulse of this continually adapting industry .
Fuel Oil News | November 2020 13