“Excluding bulk orders, she would have paid €1.072 per liter for her superior fuel oil, now it’s €0.99,” explains Gillian Ingremeau. “That’s 91 euros in savings.” “When you have a small retirement like mine, 1,400 euros per month, 91 euros that counts,” assures the octogenarian who makes sure to limit his heating to 20°C all winter to be careful.
“When you have 1,400 euros in retirement, 91 euros in savings, that counts. »
With the cold coming and the price which has not been so low for several years – barely more than one euro when it had risen to €1.70 at the height of the Ukrainian crisis -, orders for fuel oil has exploded in recent weeks throughout the department. Charentais delivery men are overwhelmed. “Many more people are filling up now, to take advantage of the price,” notes Gillian Ingremeau, pump in hand. “We know that, for us, this will be synonymous with a dip in activity in December-January, so we are making as many deliveries as possible now.”
In Chalais, the town hall has managed to reduce the bill even further thanks to the group orders it has been putting in place since 2020. “Initially, it was only for the inhabitants of Chalais, then, in 2022 we have it extended to the 13 municipalities of the former canton,” explains Monique Chatereau, town hall employee who has often taken care of these orders.
“We are matchmakers”
The principle is simple: interested parties announce the bedding they want to order, the town halls collect these orders and transmit them to the Chalais town hall which centralises. “We place four orders per year in September, November, January and March. We question four distributors in the sector and we select the cheapest,” explains Jacques Blanchet, the mayor of Chalais. “For us, it’s just negotiation. There is no community participation. We are matchmakers,” he explains.
They are the only ones to have put such a bulk order in place. And the result defies all competition: 0.96 euros per liter for ordinary fuel oil, 0.99 euros for superior. Instead of 1.042 and 1.072 for more than 1,000 liters or 1.084 and 1.114 for less than 1,000 liters. “The other advantage is that with the bulk order, the negotiated price is fixed, even if you only order 500 liters,” notes Monique Chatereau.
“It’s practical, no need to call here or there, to compare prices… With the town hall, we have confidence, and we pay less”, testifies Pierre Rigaud-Perut, 89 years old, who preferred to do full from September to have peace of mind. Total: 763 euros for 770 liters.
The initiative is attracting more and more owners of oil boilers. “For this September order, we reached 71,600 liters of ordinary fuel oil and 35,900 liters of superior fuel oil in 10 municipalities. Or more than 100,000 liters,” calculates the Chalais town hall. “When, in 2023, we were at 67,450 liters. It must be said that the prices, even more advantageous, had cooled consumers: €1,246 for the ordinary, 1,276 for the superior. »
Gillian Ingremeau enters the number of liters on the truck and the invoice is published.
Julie Desbois
Julie Desbois
763 euros for 770 liters of superior fuel oil, Pierre Rigaud-Perut is satisfied with his bill.
The operation is intended for owners of oil boilers. “There are still quite a few in the countryside. Among all those who do not have the means to move on, despite the aid.”
“At this price, no payment deadline”
If these group orders are a deal for consumers, for the Cornuault garage in Montboyer, which won the market, it is less advantageous. “We are forced to respond, and to do everything to be the lowest bidder because it is our sector. These are our customers. We cannot afford to lose them and have a truck that remains in the garage,” explains Coralie Ingremeau, one of the three partners of the Cornuault garage. At these prices, the company’s margin is minimal, “so we have to be less flexible when we set appointments with customers, we have to make delivery rounds profitable so as not to spend too much fuel. » No payment deadlines or facilities either. “We have 10 days to pay our supplier, so on such a quantity we cannot afford not to be paid on delivery. We also do everything to ensure that everything is delivered within three weeks.”
On the logistics side, such an order, of more than 100,000 liters in one day, is not simple either. “We had to make three return trips to Bordeaux to bring everything back and store it. And we couldn’t even do it in one day. So we prayed that the price wouldn’t fluctuate too much the next day. It ultimately only increased very little but it is always a risk,” indicates the professional.
