Image caption, Emma Spry from UTASS, who operate a heating oil buying group for the village ByPhilippa GoymerNorth East and Cumbria Published 4 minutes ago Households in Upper Teesdale are preparing for winter with the cost of heating oil "more than double" what it was compared to this time last year.
With no mains gas supply in Middleton-in-Teesdale, most homes in the area rely on heating oil to keep warm, meaning residents can face bills of more than £1,000 at a time to fill their tanks.
Recent figures suggest households across rural areas including Teesdale, Weardale, Northumberland and parts of North Yorkshire are currently paying around £600 for a 500-litre delivery of heating oil, equivalent to about £1.19 per litre.
In October 2025, domestic heating oil prices were around 52p per litre.
The rise is creating concern in communities where many residents have little choice but to rely on oil-fired heating systems.
Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services (UTASS), based in Middleton-in-Teesdale, run a heating oil buying group aimed at helping residents secure lower prices.
By combining orders from households across the area and placing monthly bulk purchases, the scheme can reduce costs by around 3p per litre.
The organisation says the group has become an important way of helping people manage household budgets during periods of high energy costs.
Emma Spry, the manager at UTASS, says the scheme helps with residents' "cash flow".
"To get a discount on oil you need to be buying more than 1000 litres at a time, with our scheme the minimum order is 500 litres so this can help to spread the cost a bit for people," Spry said.
UTASS itself relies on heating oil to warm its offices.
Image caption, Kim Richardson who just joined the UTASS buying scheme Kim Richardson, who has lived in Middleton in Teesdale for more than 20 years, said "the price of oil has shot up, it's double what it was last year".
"I need 1,000 litres, it'll be a fortune.
"My husband turns the heating off but I like it on, I like to be warm.
"Thankfully, the good summer we had meant we didn't need to use much oil during the summer months." Many households in the area try to plan ahead by filling tanks during the warmer months when prices can sometimes be lower.
For some, however, the cost of heating oil is entirely unaffordable.
Image caption, Pauline Thompson does not use heating oil because of the cost Pauline Thompson, who lives locally, says she does not use heating oil due to the cost, instead she uses oil filled radiators that use electricity to heat up.
"If we need hot water for a bath, I boil the kettle.
Heating oil is just too expensive to use.
"When I moved in, I rang the electricity board and asked for the cheapest way to heat the house and they said oil radiators which use electricity to heat up so I use them instead, I'm on pension credits, it's just not affordable for me." Without access to mains gas, residents have fewer options when heating costs increase.
As winter draws closer, organisations such as UTASS are encouraging anyone concerned about heating oil costs to explore schemes that could help reduce the price they pay.
Follow BBC North East on X, external, Facebook, external, Nextdoor and Instagram, external.
Do you have a story suggestion for BBC Tees?
