In these increasingly difficult financial times, off-grid communities who use heating oil can save money on their fuel by joining or setting up heating oil buying groups.
Buying groups purchase oil in bulk on behalf of members which enables them to negotiate the best price per litre. Oil buying groups have achieved significant savings for their members.
| ACRE, Citizen's Advice and the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers have produced Best Practice for Oil Buying Groups. This publication provides practical information to help communities to set up oil buying groups and ideas on how to run and manage a group once established. It also highlights some pitfalls to avoid and helps assess what is the best option for a community. RCAN members have set up their own oil buying syndicates for communities. ORCC Trading Ltd which is part of Oxfordshire Rural Community Council has over 300 members and 30 co-ordinators. Thinking Fuel is a oil buying scheme run by Norfolk Rural Community Council and AF Affinity with an aim to provide rural communities with cheaper fuel by working with one of the largest agricultural purchasing groups. | 
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