Gas Prices

when the company installs their own bombolone it is in "accomodato d'uso" in other words you can only put their gas in it.if you want to change supplier you have to dig it out and either put in your own bombola at your own expense which allows you to use anyones gas or get another supplier to put in theirs to which you will be again tied....it's all quite a hassle really,ours is tied to Totalgaz so if we want to change we have to get it pulled out etc.

Our last bill - end of August - was €0.716000 per Lt.We also have a discount for being an area not on town gas supply so cost €0.639 per Lt. (+iva)Our supplier is  Pegas in Porto San Giorgio. Tel 0734 678647Think our original contract was for two years. (Six years ago) They installed tank and fill it with gas - we get a billevery two months for what we have used.Have had great service too.

Thanks very much Sebastiano and Fred and Cath - it seems like we are paying way too much again! Not sure how we go about changing contracts - it is at least 6 years old and I guess would be very messy if the bombola had to be ripped out and a new one installed if we were to change companies?

As you are out in the countryside you should be receiving the rural discount (as mentioned by another reply). You may have had a form to fill in some time ago but didn't return it. At least I think that's what happened to us last year. I didn't fill in the form  that came in the post as I had already signed it when first signing for the 2 year minimun contract.  I also had to pay 92c plus IVA. I only realized afterwards that you have to fill in the form to receive the discount again.  It seems some companies require you to fill in the form periodically to prove you are still eligible. You best ring them up and ask for why you don't get the discount. GPL prices are as low as 54 cent at petrol stations even, and the house gas prices are usually no more than an extra 10 cent more.

 GPL prices are a scam. Prices from 59c/l to 1.09€/L and then IVA. The companies seem to charge different rates to each individual customer . As with most large purchases you have to shop around and be prepared to do so every couple of years.  Some friends of mine have just had their lovingly tended lawn ruined despite the rep assuring them that there would be no damage at all. They were a little miffed but are happy with a 40c/L reduction in price. The heartache of a lawn being destroyed to save several hundred euro maybe twice a year can be negated by having an above ground bombola. Eyesore but can be screened easily enough.My supply is with Pegas as with Fred and Kath and the price (before reduction) has dropped over the last year from 76c/L to 69c/L. No thanks to me, my supply comes from a village bombola, lucky for me that the price is good because I have no land for my own supply.   

Sarah we have Pegas delivering next week, will ask them re your queries...or rather Robert will!Ax

Is it possible to buy the bombola already installed?

Thanks David - been on phone all morning and not  got anywhere so far with Pegas or Total - been on hold for over an hour!!!! and Total can't give us a price. Maybe your excellent language skills would do the trick! Just going to phone Goldengas and try and get a bit threatening - will keep you informed........ Alan - good idea - will ask!

Well we finally got to speak to someone in charge at Goldengas after 2 days of trying and we threatened to change companies and asked them to come and take the bombola out and guess what....... the price suddenly dropped from 92c to 65c just like that - so worth a try for anyone in a similar situaton to ourselves. We have placed an order this time with them, but due to their underhand way of dealing with the price per litre, will hopefully change to either Pegas or Total next time Thanks to everyone for your help and rememeber its definitely worth bartering!!!!

I have had to order gas as well this autumn. I contacted Butangas asking for the current price and was told €1.10 +iva. I questioned this and asked what had happened to the discounts They had forgotten them! I was then offered a price of €0.93 minus discount plus iva. I said I would have to consider getting my own gas tank and then the price came down to €0.745 including discounts and iva - a really great saving 

Excuse me for raising this one again but, inspired by the wide range of gas prices there seem to be out there and people's successes in getting reductions I rang my gas supplier last week to find out what his current price is. I dont need gas yet but probably will before the winter is out.His answer was 80c per litre plus IVA =96c minus an 8c discount for being outside the mains gas network which gives a net price of 88c. I said that this seemed very high and I was aware of others who pay a lot less but so far he is refusing to budge. He says that as we buy less than 1000 litres per year we are in a higher price bracket. His suggestions were that a) we should buy our gas in the summer when the prices are generally lower (and if we need gas in the winter  just buy a small amount then) and b) pay by direct debit which will give a further discount of 4c.We try to keep our gas use low because of the high prices and dont want to use more just to get a few cents of the overall price - we try to rely on our woodburning stove as our main heat source in the winter (though it does mean that some rooms get pretty cold) and resort to the age old remedy of wearing more jumpers!.I have not given up the battle and so, could I please ask those people who have managed to achieve prices in the 60-80c range whether they are high or low users of gas. This may give me a bit more ammunition when I go back to him. I know that my last resort is to switch gas suppliers but as this means potentially having our existing tank removed and a new one installed I am not sure how practical an option this really is.Many thanksRichard

Richard - don't give up - we didn't!!! We spend around €2000 per year on gas and we were told the time before last that we could only order a minimum of 1000 l at a time. This last time, when we had all the problems with the price, we told them we were ordering 500 l and he gave in in the end. I can't see why it would make a difference ordering in the summer seing as the price always seem to be fluctuating at all different times of year anyway (its not like wood where this IS much cheaper in the summer). Good luck - why not look into changing supplier? Let us know how you get on. Sarah and Mark

Thanks Sarah and Mark and Sprostoni. I wont give up. Its obviously a case of if you dont ask/insist, you dont get. I'll let you know how I get on.Thanks once again.Richard

We've just had a delivery of 600L and it worked out at 0.735/L inclusive of IVA and discount.  Last winter we used about 1500L and deliveries varied from 400L to 800L (we have to fill up when we have a dry period as tanker can't cope with our road when wet).  Different quanties didn't seem to affect the unit cost and we certainly don't warrant a "heavy usage" type discount.  We are also still within our initial 2 year contract period thus no incentive for them to give us a good price to keep our business.

   Hi ref gas prices & tanks we do not live in Italy only visiting when we can. we have been told that we cannot get a tank as our usage would not be great enough. we hope to rent out our downstairs appartment but am concerned that the large bottle would not be manageable by most people due to its weight. Also has anyone purchased a tank so as to be able to shop around for best prices? Cheers  David

 I had a good chat with a gas expert last year and he made a couple of interesting points. The gas companies can vary the mixture of two gasses to make it cheaper (and worse), and - get this - they like to get it all shaken up going down your white road and pump it quickly while it is still aerated. I'm not sure if the latter is true but it could be so I like to chat to the man a bit to slow him down.

 Hi All. Ive been following the site for a while but this debate about gas has prompted me to sign up. I spend about six weeks a year at the house, about 50/50 between winter and summer. First winter we managed to burn our way thru about 400 lt in a week - that was a little distressing. We have insulated and got smarter (and wear more thermals) since then but still manage to use an awful lot of the stuff. Could anyone tell me the name of the documents you need to fill in to get the rural discount? cant remeber exactly what the last bill was but I do know that Eur500 didnt get us much over 500lt

 What's with the rural discount on gas ? First I've heard of it but it sounds good. Enlightenment please.

 Hi Elliven Sebastiano mentions the "communita montana" right at the top of the thread and amazingmarche refers to the "rural discount". Dont know if they are one and the same but a potential reduction in gas bills is worth chasing. Anybody out there that has any details?

I've always assumed it was for residents only - not holiday homes - but I could be wrong   [apparently, according to my wife, it does occasionally happen]

 I received my "certificate" from the comune over a year ago but not had to use it yet. I think it gives about 30% discount but relates to the comunità montana, not just rural properties. We're not resident but it may theoretically be restricted to residents