§ Mr. Formanasked the Secretary of State for Energy how much oil is used for space heating and water heating purposes in the commercial sector; what proportion of total United Kingdom oil 706W consumption this represents; and what plans the Government have for encouraging or requiring such users to switch to other fuels in such cases.
§ Mr. GrayPrecise information of the kind requested is not available. During 1978, 1.6 million tonnes of gas/diesel and fuel oils were delivered for central heating purposes in offices, distributive trades, places of entertainment and catering establishments; this was 1.8 per cent. of total deliveries of petroleum products for inland consumption in the United Kingdom during 1978.
In present circumstances, I would expect anyone using oil for heating to be looking closely at the advantages of other fuels. I do not think that any further encouragement is necessary.