Ordinary Ledger: the tank held its price

Tuesday’s ordinary ledger begins with a number that refused to move.

Screen. At 05:11 this morning HeizOel24 put the German average for a 3,000-litre order at €170.65 per 100 litres, 0.01% above the previous day¹. On Monday, the portal had already said that Germany and Austria barely felt the lower oil price¹. Overnight, the market added nothing.

Doorstep. tanke-günstig, which quotes a 2,000-litre order, had the national average at €178.34 per 100 litres at 23:00 on Monday, up 0.2 on the day². On Friday morning it reported €178.21 and said that was still one of the highest levels ever seen at the start of a heating season³. Three days of headlines, and the delivery ticket stayed put.

Map. The national figure hides a spread. Sachsen-Anhalt was cheapest at €172.73 and Saarland dearest at €184.24². Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland each rose 1.9 on the day, while Brandenburg, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt and Thüringen each fell 0.4².

Desk arithmetic (labelled). €184.24 minus €172.73 is €11.51 per 100 litres. On a 2,000-litre order that is about €230 between the two ends of the table, on the same night and for the same fuel. Monday’s whole national move, 0.2 per 100 litres, comes to about €4 on that order.

tanke-günstig argues that dealers’ margins are thin, so the day you order matters more than which dealer you pick². Its own regional table shows that where you live matters too. Only a written quote for your postcode reflects both. Nothing here is advice to buy, wait or switch. The price that counts is the one in the offer with your name on it.