Applications for a Northern Ireland government initiative providing eligible families with a £100 voucher to help cover home heating oil expenses have commenced.
The scheme was first introduced in March and is designed to assist approximately 340,000 households from lower-income backgrounds.
Unlike the gas or electricity markets, the sector dealing with heating oil operates without regulation, allowing increases in wholesale costs to be swiftly transferred to end users.
Prices reached their highest point at the beginning of the conflict involving Iran, where they nearly doubled within a few days.
Although figures have decreased since that initial spike, current rates remain roughly 50 per cent above pre-attack levels following the US-Israeli engagement.
Citizens must submit requests through the NIdirect government portal starting this Wednesday, 9 September.
The financial assistance aims to provide immediate relief for those facing steep bills in an otherwise free-for-all pricing environment.