Anyone remember what a litre of heating oil cost in 1988.

[redhunter350]

Cannot recall the price in 1988 but 1970 we installed central heating and a 600 gallon tank, the first 500 gallons of 32sec oil was about £60 [plus £1/2/3 and few bob ! ] a considerable sum equating to about two and half weeks wages for an engineer/toolmaker So about 2.7pence/Ltr

 

[Reffc]

I recall paying about 45por 55p/litre back in the 90's when living in a remote part of Aberdeenshire and considered that expensive!

edit...just looked up my diary and actually it was 25p

 

[Richard_C]

I can't help with 1988, I moved here in 1996 and have kept records since. Generally I buy in the cheaper months of summer and can get through most of the year with no top ups unless it is very cold. I don't get it exactly right but have managed to avoid buying at 'the top' with a bit of tactical ordering. The most recent purchase was pretty horrifying - 89 point something a litre but I'm OK to Easter so can forget about it.

Alongside the per litre price I have adjusted for cpi (I know, I know there are plenty other measures of real inflation but this is vanilla ONS stuff) re-based to my 1996 start date. The chart is interesting, yes its bad, but with general background inflation not as bad as it looks - 2007 to 2013 were almost as bad in real terms.

(and yes, I was miffed when the price of a gallon of 2T for my Vespa went from 4/11 to 5/02, a landmark. Only bought in half gallons of course, tiny tank, but back then garages did have 2T hand pumps where you set the mixture ratio on a brass dial - 20:1 if I recall - and it mixed it for you as you pumped the handle.)

 

[mikej460]

I bought my first car in 1974 for £45 and my first tankful cost me 64p a gallon (12.8p per litre)

 

[Phil Pascoe]

64p a gallon in 1974? I think you've got that wrong.
I remember in 1973 putting 50p in a pump for 1 1/3rd gallons. Hansard gives Jan '74 as 42p for 4*.