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Over the past week, Krekenava residents collected signatures protesting the sharp rise in the price of liquefied gas, which has been heating their apartments since December. Krekenaviškės has been served centrally by the Suskystintos Dujos company for many years. These services are managed by the representatives of the company: Kupiškis Gas Farm.
Attracted by the low price
For a long time, the people of Krekenava used the liquefied gas supplied to their apartments only for cooking. But in 2019-2020, a large part of the city’s apartment population decided to switch from solid fuel district heating to gas heating. After investing thousands of sums, they installed new heating systems in the house, assembled individual boilers and took the gas they needed from common pipes.
At first, that comfort suited everyone a lot. But the news came last December that liquefied gas would become more expensive in Krekenava not only spoiled spirits, but also raised fears. Krekenaviškės felt held hostage by the gas men.
“Since 2018. In December, we paid a fixed gas price of EUR 4.04 and EUR 1.76 per cubic meter of gas used each month. Since 2019 the latter has been cut in half and the sustained price increased by a fifth. Such Taxes weren’t too difficult for us, so many decided to switch to gas heating, ”says Vilhelmina Kavaliauskienė, a Krekenava resident and teacher at a local gym.
However, on December 2 last year, the Suskystintos Dujos company increased the price of the gas subscription fee for Krekenaviškės by 40 cents, to 5.30 euros. And the variable price has even doubled, from 86 carats to 1.98 euros per cubic meter.
Caught
In Panevėžys, where gas is supplied to consumers by the power company Ignitis, the fixed part of this tax on apartments for domestic consumers now reaches 56 cents, the variable – 50 cents per cubic meter. Gas heating in individual houses in the city costs 28 cents per cubic meter and a monthly subscription fee of 3.99 euros is charged.
“I haven’t heard that anyone would pay as much for heating as Krekenaviškės,” says V. Kavaliauskienė angrily.
Herself for the heat of its 79 square meters. m in the apartment according to the latest gas prices in January put as much as 240 euros. Previously, this fee was up to a maximum of € 70 per month.
“It cost me 5,000 to install a new gas heating system. Euros. It’s a lot of money, I had to take out a loan. But now that such unrealistic taxes have been imposed on us, I no longer know how much we are going to push. Even in summer, When you don’t have to heat and you only have a gas stove, my gas costs can be around 9 euros a month, ”says the teacher, terrified by the drastic prices.
The gassing prices caused outrage among Krekenava residents who were approaching them. On Wednesday, they sent an official letter to the “Liquefied Gas” company, asking what were the reasons for such an inhumane jump in the gasoline tax in Krekenava. The letter was signed by 70 people.
Residents are still waiting for a response from service providers.
Krekenava apartment building
© Sekundė.lt
Nothing illegal
The prices that scared Krekenaviškės have been approved by the State Energy Regulatory Council (VERT).
“Our prices are approved by VERT; without their knowledge, we could not change anything. Gasoline prices rose throughout Lithuania. And the company’s situation encouraged us to do so: we are suffering losses with these services, we are supplying gas to a practical cost, ”said the director of the Kupiškis branch of the company Suskystintos Dujos, master-chief Alis Apšega.
During the conversation, he had just visited Krekenava, where about 400 consumers are supplied with gas.
According to A. Apšega, such number of customers and the amount of gas consumed by the company are only tears compared to the costs incurred.
“When part of the population of Krekenava switched to gas heating, gas consumption in the city increased slightly. But when people rushed to replace district heating with solid fuel, we warned them that prices could change in the future. future. If you don’t like it now, you can unplug it and go back to the old heating system, “says A. Apšega.
According to him, gas prices cannot be stopped when Lithuania’s economic situation is so bad.
“I understand that Krekenava is far from the city, maybe some people lost their jobs during the quarantine. But even cold water, look how much it costs now,” emphasizes Kupiškėnas, who is in charge of the heat in Krekenaviškės.
It won’t be easy to give up
However, A. Apšega does not offer the people of Krekenavis to give up gas entirely. According to him, breaking pipes in apartment buildings is not rational.
“Even if we disconnect the gas from an apartment, the pipes will continue to run through it. Furthermore, it is necessary to understand that an apartment building is owned by many owners, it is necessary to observe communion and dismantle the system created,” explains A. Apšega.
And it is forbidden to build a liquefied gas cylinder in the apartment due to safety requirements.
According to A. Apšega, in the last year the company had received only one request in Krekenava to turn off the gas in the apartment of an apartment building. The owners who lived there were often in exile.
“Disconnecting is not so simple: you need a project, the consent of the neighbors for such a decision. All this is written in the service contract ”, explains the company representative.
Liquefied gas does not serve more residents in the Panevėžys district. Previously, they provided their services to several other houses and institutions in Upytė, but some time ago, consumers here rejected such services.
The company buys gas from Spain and other European countries. According to A. Apšega, their prices are also influenced by the international market.
“It is a complicated process and complicated calculations. It generally won’t explain why the price is going up or down, “a company spokesman said.
From wolf to bear
Antanas Pocius, deputy mayor of the Panevėžys district, has already heard the complaints from Krekenavišk ques about the increase in the gasoline tax. But remember how indescribable the residents were when they fell into the arms of a new service provider a few years ago.
“He ran away from the wolf, ran to the bear. We talked to residents then about not having to disconnect from district heating. The Panevėžys district company Velžio communal farm, which had previously served them, lost consumers, so we also suffered losses. But then people wanted cheaper, “says the deputy mayor.
The “liquefied gas” is a private equity company, so, according to the deputy mayor, the Municipality cannot influence its prices in any way.
“It would be the same as complaining about a more expensive bread. Clearly, we will try to help people in some way, if taxes bankrupt them, we will not leave them in disaster. But residents got stuck this way: Such companies initially offer cheap services, join in, and then dictate their own terms. It is terrible for me that it does not happen with a liberalized electricity supply market either. Several companies offer, but do not know how they will adjust electricity prices in the future, ”says A. Pocius.
According to A. Pocius, when the people of Krekenaviškės chose a private gas supplier to heat their apartments, the Panevėžys district municipality utility company, which lost consumers, also suffered losses.
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