// BBC BUSINESS NEWS — FINANZA
Childminder facing 'severe financial burden' as heating oil costs rise
Many households across Northern Ireland continue to be hit with high prices for home heating oil, with one woman saying there is a "severe" financial burden on childminders.
The war in Iran is having a practical impact on people across the island as energy prices continue to climb.
On 24 September, the average price of 500 litres of home heating oil in Northern Ireland was £561.83, according to the Consumer Council NI (CCNI), external.
"It's a severe financial and operational burden on all registered childminders because as well as the prices of the oil, there's massive increases in the food bills, the insurance," Rachel Jeffers, from Stewartstown, County Tyrone said.
"That's all increased massively and a lot of the parents are saying if we're increasing our rates it's a financial burden on them."
Almost two-thirds of homes (62.5%) in Northern Ireland use oil for heating, the highest proportion of the UK nations.
Unlike gas or electricity the heating oil market is unregulated, so global price rises are rapidly passed through to consumers.
Childminder Rachel Jeffers says the cost of home heating is "always on the back of your mind"
Alongside her six-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son, Jeffers minds one child after school hours and three children under school age all day.
She told BBC News NI the cost of her home heating oil had "doubled" since last year.