Over 20c/l price difference for motor fuel across county

Motorists in County Cavan can save up to 11 cent a litre on the price of diesel and over 20 cent a litre on the price of petrol by shopping around. That’s according to The Anglo-Celt’s latest fuel price survey - the largest of its kind conducted to date taking in five counties, 27 towns and villages and more than 50 filling stations.
All prices were recorded by Celt reporters, photographers and correspondents last Friday. The cheapest diesel in the county was on sale in Bailieborough at the Go Service Station on the Cavan Road at 128.9c/l. For petrol, the west of the county was most competitive with the Apple Green in Ballyconnell coming in at 139.8c/l.
The savings are even greater, however, for those travelling outside the county boundary for their fuel. The Celt survey found the cheapest fuel last Friday in Longford Town at the Inver Filling Station on the Athlone Road out of the town. It was selling diesel for 125.9c/l and petrol for 139.9c/l. While diesel is still more expensive north of the border, petrol is now cheaper. Taking the exchange rate into account, motorists could buy petrol at the filling station at Asda in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, last Friday for the equivalent of 133c/l.
At the other end of the scale, Argue’s Londis in Cootehill was selling diesel on Friday  for 139.9c/l, as was O’Reilly’s Filling Station in Kilnaleck. When it came to petrol prices, Cavan Town ranked most expensive with Global on the Dublin Road charging 159.9c/l to customers.
At those prices, a motorist driving a Toyota Avensis, for example, could save €6.60 on a fill of 60 litres of diesel by shopping around. Taking the example of a petrol Ford Fiesta, the saving is €8.65 on a 43-litre fill.
Gary Smith is proprietor of Smith’s Applegreen Service Station at Rathkeelan near Ballyconnell and was delighted to learn that the Celt found him cheapest for petrol last Friday.
Mr Smith says, from the time his business took on the Applegreen branding, it has led to a situation where “we’ve been holding the prices down in this area definitely”.

He adds, that being a business located along the Border: “You have to be competitive. People coming up from the North for instance, they’re looking for value. So you’re trying to get them in the door as well.”
The Anglo-Celt attempted to speak with Applegreen headquarters directly concerning the differences in pricing at their franchise stations across the county, a difference of almost 6c between Ballyconnell and Virginia (135.8), and 7c compared to Applegreen at Poles outside Cavan Town.
The county town, in general, performed poorly in the survey compared to other outlets in the county. One motorist who lashed out at the prices in Cavan Town on the Celt’s Facebook page was Paul Burke.
“I travel quite a bit as a motor assessor and have noticed over the last few months that Cavan Town is by far the most expensive for fuel. In some cases, the same retail group is charging €137.8 in Cavan and €119.8 elsewhere. I purchased diesel in the north west of Donegal recently, it was €126.9 as compared to Cavan at €137.8...
“As you may already know, fuel prices fluctuate with the currency and oil price fluctuation. The retail price of fuel at the pumps is determined by this and changes weekly, to my knowledge, every Wednesday. How many Wednesdays have passed in the last few months whereby the price is still the same in Cavan, ranging from €132.8 to €137.8. It’s time the people of Cavan speak up!”
Other Celt readers were keen to point out that the cheapest diesel does not always necessarily mean the best diesel and other factors should be taken into account such as the octane rating of the petrol and cetane rating of the diesel.

National prices
AA Ireland said that the average fuel prices across Ireland in July were 129.9c/l for diesel and 139.5c/l.
It estimates the average retailer margin at just four cent a litre. The tax take, meanwhile, is 74.192c for diesel and 86.861c for petrol.
Attempts were made to contact Go Service Station in Bailieborough, the cheapest for diesel in Cavan, and also the proprietors of Global in Cavan Town, where a litre of petrol cost 159.9c/l on Friday morning last.
However no response had been received by any of the businesses by the time of the Celt going to print.