Payment for gas distribution can be skipped, but with a condition

Processing of documents Photo: Naftogaz

All users whose houses have the technical possibility of connecting to gas systems are obliged to pay for distribution services gas However, in some circumstances there is a legitimate possibility to stop these accruals.

As noted on the official website of the National Commission for State Regulation of Energy and Utilities (NKREKP), in Ukraine, the cost of gas distribution does not depend on the amount of fuel consumed, but is related to the technical connection of the object to the gas distribution network. This means that gas transportation bills are received even by those consumers who do not use it at all.

To stop charging payments, you need to completely disconnect the housing from the gas supply system. To do this, you should perform the following actions:

• submit a statement on termination of the agreement with the operator of the gas distribution network;
• to receive official confirmation of the termination of gas supply;
• ensure the actual separation of your home from the gas network.

Only after these requirements are fulfilled, the payment for gas transportation is stopped. However, it is worth considering: if your home is located in a multi-story building, then periodically, once every few years, you will need to pay for the maintenance of indoor gas networks. These reviews include maintenance of the following components, such as:

• internal gas pipelines;
• counters and other elements of the security system;
• locking equipment.

As the Informant informed, every residence in Ukraine that consumes gas is connected to its operator of gas distribution networks (GRM) through a signed contract, even if it was not signed personally.

Users are obliged to comply with it on the basis of the law of the same name “On the natural gas market”. It states that the provision of gas distribution services is based on and under the terms of the relevant agreement. Article 40 of the Law on the Natural Gas Market states that such an agreement must be typical. This means that the written form of this agreement, with predetermined conditions, is approved by the competent body, the regulator in the field of energy and communal services, namely NKREKP. By its resolution dated September 30, 2015, the NCRECP approved the standard form of this agreement and its main terms. In the general provisions of the Model Gas Distribution Agreement, it is emphasized that this agreement is public, and is also an Accession Agreement.

The use of a standard public form is justified by the fact that there are more than 12 million gas distribution subscribers (households) in Ukraine. Therefore, individual execution of agreements is not possible.