As winter sets in, the Government tries to reduce the prices of petroleum | Rare Techy

AMMAN — Experts are calling on the government to reduce heating costs during the months of December and January to provide heating for small and low-income households.

Low-income families rely on oil heaters to heat their homes in the winter. However, due to the increase in the price of various fuels, especially kerosene and diesel, there is no other way to heat their houses other than fuel.

There are many heating systems used in homes around the kingdom, such as air conditioning, oil-fired boilers, central heating, which operate on diesel, electricity, gas and fuel heating, which is the cheapest heating option.

According to local gas station workers, a liter of gasoline is currently selling for JD0.86. A liter of diesel costs JD0.86.

In view of the increase in prices, the Economist Wajdi Makhamreh urged the government to reduce the prices of diesel and oil in winter.

The rise in oil and gas prices will have a negative impact on all sectors, especially for small- and medium-sized households, according to Makhamreh.

“Jordanians look for other heating options such as fuel, which is dangerous for the environment and human health,” Makhamreh said.

Makhamreh said that instead of raising the prices of oil and diesel, the government should consider raising the price of Octane-95 gasoline instead, “which will not affect small households and middle-income households”.

Meanwhile, demand for air bags has increased over the past few weeks due to the cold and rainy weather the country has seen.

“The demand for gas packages reached 200,000 cylinders per day,” Nahar Seedat, President of the Gas Station Owners Association (GSOA) told The Jordan Times, an increase he attributed to the conditions of cold weather.

“We urge the government to lower the prices of petroleum, especially in December and January, which are the coldest months of the year,” Seedat said.

Seedat expects the demand for snow this winter to be lower than the annual average.

“Jordan consumes about 140 million liters of gasoline every winter,” Seedat added.

However, Seedat said that this number will decrease by 60 percent this winter due to the increase in prices, as the small amount cannot reach the budget of Jordanian households.

“People with low income are forced to switch to cheap kerosene, as the government has increased the price of kerosene,” Ahmad Masadeh, a Jordanian, told the Jordan Times.

Masadeh added that his family replaced their oil heater with a fuel heater to save on their monthly heating bills.

“Electricity and fuel costs are beyond what low-income families can afford,” Makhamreh said.

Makhamreh said the cost of purchasing, installing and maintaining air conditioners and air conditioners is beyond the budget of low-income and many middle-income households.