Leaders of the UK oil heating industry have called for government action to take more households out of fuel poverty.

OFTEC, the UK trade body for the industry, is urging ministers to bring back the boiler scrappage scheme to help the estimated 2.3m people living in fuel poverty to cut their bills by upgrading to more efficient boilers.

It also wants the government to provide better incentives for upgrading home insulation.

The call comes as figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) show that one in 10 people are struggling to pay their fuel bills.

Figures from the DECC also show that the gap between what those in fuel poverty can afford to pay and the actual cost of their fuel bills is £374 on average.

OFTEC said the 9,500 households in West Yorkshire – often rural properties – using oil to heat their homes were disproportionately affected because typically they lived in older properties with significantly lower energy efficiency ratings compared to urban housing.

But it said households on oil had seen a UK average £500 fall in the price of the fuel over the last two years – with the cost of heating a typical three bedroom home now £201 less than mains gas, according to industry data.

With oil now £701 less expensive than LPG and £714 cheaper than electric storage heaters, households on oil could expect to make significant savings and bridge this gap, said OFTEC.

Households in West Yorkshire could further reduce their fuel bills by improving their energy efficiency as research showed that only 5% of families in fuel poverty live in houses with a high energy rating of A-C compared with 31% living in houses rated G, the lowest energy efficiency band.

Malcolm Farrow, of OFTEC, said: “It is shocking that in 2015 fuel poverty is still such a serious issue, particularly for rural households. Homes using oil are currently benefiting from a huge fall in the price of oil so homeowners who switch to oil from more expensive forms of heating can expect to see long term savings.”