Oil buying cooperatives

On 1 April the single new council for North Yorkshire launched replacing Scarborough Borough Council and other local authorites in North Yorkshire.

To find your Councillor or to view minutes, meetings and agendas please visit the North Yorkshire Council website.

We, in partnership with Ryedale District Council through Choices4Energy, are delivering oil buying cooperatives across the two districts.

Residents can save on their heating bills by being part of an oil buying cooperative. The more members the oil buying cooperatives has, the better the savings that can be achieved.

Register online >

The scheme runs at various time throughout the year, view the calendar below.

Place an order

If you've already registered, you can place an order online using the form below.

Place your order >

For more information on the oil buying cooperatives run by Choices4Energy please see our frequently asked questions and terms and conditions or alternatively contact Choices4Energy by calling 01723 232527 or emailing Choices4Energy@scarborough.gov.uk.

Terms and conditions

Choices4Energy Oil Cooperative Terms and Conditions

The Terms and Conditions listed below should provide you with further details of how the oil buying cooperative works and how Choices4Energy manage the scheme. When you register to become a member you are agreeing to these Terms and Conditions.

If these do not answer a particular query, please take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions on the next page.

Choices4Energy (Scarborough Borough Council) will conduct an open and transparent procurement process to obtain the best possible price and service from oil companies for our customers.
Oil orders will take place approximately every 2 months. A timetable is provided to all existing and new members.
The price set out to our customers will be the best possible price quoted at that time.
The customer has no obligation to be a part of Choices4Energy (Scarborough Borough Council) oil cooperative.
There is a minimum order of 500 litres per customer.
The customer must provide any delivery comments needed for safe delivery of the oil when placing the order.
The customer must inform Choices4Energy (Scarborough Borough Council) of any change of address or contact details before any oil is ordered. Failure to do so means that Choices4Energy (Scarborough Borough Council) cannot be held responsible for oil being sent to the wrong address and the customer would be liable for the payment to the oil company.
Once the customer has placed an order through the oil cooperative the customer is obligated to pay and receive that order and Choices4Energy (Scarborough Borough Council) disclaims any liability. The contract for the supply of oil will solely be between the oil company and the customer. This includes, for example, delivery, connection, access, billing and payments.
The customer shall keep their oil tank in good condition and accepts that oil companies have the right to refuse delivery if they consider that the customer’s oil tank contravenes regulations relating to health and safety or to be a potential pollution hazard.
The chosen oil company will invoice the customer directly for the order and the customer will make payment to the oil company in accordance with its terms and conditions.
Choices4Energy (Scarborough Borough Council) will obtain payment from the oil company of a referral fee of 1p per litre ordered from the chosen oil company.
Choices4Energy (Scarborough Borough Council) takes no responsibility for:

◦the payment of oil deliveries

◦the deliveries themselves

◦any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products’ liability, negligence or otherwise.

Choices4Energy (Scarborough Borough Council) will only share the customer’s personal data with the chosen oil company.
Choices4Energy (Scarborough Borough Council) will not share any personal data with third parties unless consent has been given by the customer themselves.
Choices4Energy (Scarborough Borough Council) has the right to refuse any application and change these terms and conditions at any time.

FAQ

Q. How will I know the price?

A. Within three days of the buying date, members who have placed an order will receive an email/telephone call with details of the confirmed price per litre, the chosen supplier and the savings made by the buying group. Payment terms vary between suppliers so these details are always provided as part of our supplier and price confirmation email.

Q. How much fuel do I need to order?

A. You can order as much as you need, its worth noting that the more the cooperative orders, generally the better the price per litre is! 500 litres is the minimum amount you can order as this is a trading standards requirement.

Q. How do I place an order?

A. Choices4Energy (Scarborough Borough Council) will take some basic information off you when you sign up to your local Oil Cooperative. When we are due to put an order in Choices4Energy (Scarborough Borough Council) shall be in touch with you and you will inform Choices4Energy (Scarborough Borough Council) of how much oil you require and any delivery notes. This can be done via email, telephone or face to face.

Q. Will I be reminded when an order is to take place?

A. Yes a timetable of oil order will be provided to all members of the oil cooperative, but reminders will be either sent by email or post (depending on chosen method of contact) 2 weeks before the order date.

Q. Can I cancel my order?

A. Yes but only until the day before the order date. You can do this by calling 01723 232532 / 07702 736265 or emailing Choices4Energy@scarborough.gov.uk

Once the order has been placed and you need to make changes to your order this can only be done directly with the oil supplier. You can get their contact details by calling 01723 232532 / 07702 736265 or emailing Choices4Energy@scarborough.gov.uk

Q. How do I pay for my oil order?

A. Once the price has been confirmed Choices4Energy (Scarborough Borough Council) will pass on your order details onto the chosen oil supplier. By placing your order through the oil cooperative you are agreeing to the payment terms of the oil supplier, this is stated in the Oil Cooperatives Terms and Conditions, which may be on, before, or after the oil delivery. Please be aware that some oil suppliers may levy a fee for credit card payments.

Q. I currently pay for my oil deliveries through Direct Debit, is this still possible through the Oil Cooperative?

A. We do not use direct debit as a payment method due to nature of the Oil Cooperative changing oil suppliers in accordance to the best price of oil and direct

debit ties customers to that one oil supplier so they are unable to take advantage of the most competitive prices.

Q. Where can I get further information about this Oil Cooperative?

A. You can receive more information by calling 01723 232532 / 07702 736265, emailing Choices4Energy@scarborough.gov.uk or our website www.scarborough.gov.uk/Choices4Energy. The Oil Cooperative Coordinator is also regularly in your local area and will attend any local events where they would be more than happy to have a chat to you about the Oil Cooperatives.

Q. Do I need to be in when the oil is delivered?

A. As long as your tank is accessible you don't need to be in to accept the order. We will always ask you for information on where your tank is located when you join the cooperative. We pass this information onto the chosen supplier.

Q. How do I know how much fuel has been delivered into my tank?

A. The chosen oil supplier will put a note through your door detailing the exact number of litres that has been delivered.

Q. What is the VAT charged on oil?

A. The rate of VAT on domestic oil is 5% regardless of how much is ordered.

Q. Why does Choices4Energy, (Scarborough Borough Council) take a 1p per litre?

A. Choices4Energy is a service funded by Scarborough Borough Council that is part funding the Oil buying cooperative. Choices4Energy looked at a number of models running nationally and decided that the most cost effective one for our residents was one where we charge the chosen oil company a referral fee. This ensures that we can effectively manage a number of oil cooperatives on behalf of residents.

Q. Do you provide Aga fuel?

A. Some of our oil suppliers do provide an additive for Aga fuel; this may have a higher cost so please specify this when ordering.

Q. What if I don't know how much oil I need?

A. Although you are able to order a ‘top up’ it is recommended that you make a visual check of your tank to ensure that we are able to make as accurate an order as possible to ensure that the last person in the delivery loop still receives some oil!

Oil buying timetable 2021 / 2022

Reminder to all members	Oil Cut-off Date	Oil Order Date	Expected Delivery Date (depending on how busy winning company is)
29th March 2023	11th April 2023	12th April 2023	17th – 21st April 2023
10th May 2023	23rd May 2023	24th May 2023	29th – 2nd June 2023
21st June 2023	4th July 2023	5th July 2023	10th – 14th July 2023
2nd Aug 2023	15th Aug 2023	16th Aug 2023	21st – 25th Aug 2023
13th Sept 2023	26th Sept 2023	27th Sept 2023	2nd – 6th Oct 2023
25th Oct 2023	7th Nov 2023	8th Nov 2023	13th – 17th Nov 2023
22nd Nov 2023	5th Dec 2023	6th Dec 2023	11th – 15th Dec 2023