-
Heating oil theft prevention
Experiencing a heating oil theft can not only be expensive but also make you rethink your safety in your home. You can be a victim of oil theft no matter what the season. BoilerJuice has some top tips to help with heating oil theft prevention and what to do if you think your oil has been stolen.
How to prevent heating oil theft
1. Install safe locks to your tank
Having a lock may make thieves skip your tank as it makes it much harder for thieves to access your oil. Tank locks come in a variety of sizes and generally take just a few minutes to install. In fact, some ‘easy-fit’ locks require no drilling or DIY whatsoever
2. Install an oil monitor and join an auto top up service
Automatic top-up services, such as our own BoilerJuice Connected are becoming popular. Not only can these services make heating oil convenient, but they can also be used as a heating oil theft alarm. With BoilerJuice Connected, we can alert you when our smart oil monitor detects a sudden drop in your oil levels. We’ll also have a record of your heating oil levels which can help with reporting the crime to the police as well as provide evidence to insurance providers.
Even though insurance may not help with heating oil theft prevention from a safety point, having insurance can give you have peace of mind knowing you are covered if you were a victim of theft. Finding the right insurance that can cover damages and heating oil theft can be tricky. Very few home insurance plans cover heating oil theft. If you are unsure whether your home insurance covers this, we recommend you contact your provider. You may have to find providers such as OilSpill.
4.Install CCTV
CCTV may prevent heating oil theft as thieves are less likely to steal with the fear of being caught on camera. If you don't have CCTV there's an easy and affordable way to keep thieves at bay, you can put up a sign stating, "this tank is monitored".
Will automatic top up service make it easier to keep my heating oil safe?
With technology advancing many of us are now using digital systems to make monitoring our energy usage easier to manage. Our automatic top-up service, BoilerJuice Connected provides heating oil households with constant monitoring of their oil levels.
How automatic systems can reduce heating oil theft
- Automatic systems can work as a heating oil theft alarm. They will alert you and the monitoring provider when your oil is low.
- You don’t need to dip our tank with automatic top-ups, so there is less chance of human error such as leaving your tank lock open. For a potential thief, these errors would be easy access to steal your heating.
You can find more about the other benefits to our BoilerJuice Connected here.
What to do if your heating oil is in the process of being stolen?
What to do if your heating oil is in the process of being stolen.
It is important that if you think someone is in the process of stealing your heating oil you do not approach them. This could put you at harm however, there are some things you can do if you find yourself in this situation.
- Call the police (999) and explain the situation and await instruction.
- If you can record the theft, do so as this can be used as evidence.
- If there is a vehicle that you believe the thief is using for transport record the license registration number.
- Once the police have arrived if it is a confirmed heating oil theft get a crime number from the police.
- Call your insurance provider.
- Put extra safety measures in place. This will reduce the chances of theft in the future such as a tank lock or a heating oil theft alarm.
What to do if the heating oil theft has already happened?
- Call the police (101) and explain the situation and await instruction.
- Get a crime number.
- Pass over any evidence you may have to the police.
- Once the police have arrived if it is a confirmed heating oil theft get a crime number from the police.
- Call your heating oil insurance provider.
- Put extra safety measures in place. This will reduce the chances of theft in the future such as a tank lock or a heating oil theft alarm.
