At the current time, mains gas is only available to homes in the larger cities and this is supplied by only one company – Gas Natural. It is hoped that mains gas can be brought to more areas in the near future. In order to connect the supply you simply need to call them to arrange for the gas to be switched on but you will need to sign a supply contract. In order to obtain this document copies of ID documentation are required, such as a passport and/or other utility bill. The meter (contador de gas) will be read when you first sign up.

Bills for the gas supply are sent every two months and all bills include VAT (IVA) which is rated at 16%. Most residents will pay their bill (factura) via direct debit (domiciliación bancaria) although it is possible to pay over the phone with a credit or debit card, send a cheque or pay over the counter at a bank or building society. Bills will detail energy consumption (consumo de energia) as well as the various ways to pay and the number of the account (cuenta).

In the event of an emergency there is a department at Gas Natural which will arrange for an engineer to call at the property.

If you are in an area that does not have mains gas then it is common for homes to make use of bottled gas (bombonas) and these can be purchased from a number of outlets including petrol stations or supermarkets. Alternatively you can find a specialised bottled gas supplier and have them deliver directly to your home. In the first instance though you will need to have a contract with a supplier for bottled gas and approval for the contract will only be given once a safety inspection has been carried out at the property. You will need to show a photocopy and the original of your passport , a photocopy of another utility bill which is registered at the same address and the certificate which proves an inspection has been carried out.

When the contract is approved then a deposit for the gas bottle will need to be paid and you will be obliged to have gas appliances checked and serviced every five years. The bottled gas supplier or authorised distributors are able to arrange this for you. If you use an authorised distributor they may try to sell you an insurance package on inspections but this is not compulsory and they are often very expensive. One problem in some areas is gas inspectors, who call at the property to assess appliances. These are often from legitimate companies that are simply trying to drum up trade. They will expect payment on the spot and their costs are usually very high.

It is estimated that gas bottles can last for around 6-8 weeks if they are only used to fuel a gas cooker (cocina de gas). Some properties have a gas boiler outside which needs to be protected from the wind as the pilot light would be cutting out regularly.

In some areas where property owners have sufficient outdoor space a propane tank can be installed. In most cases this would just need to be filled once a year but installation costs can be high. Many people are not in favour of these tanks as they are considered to be unsightly, but there are companies that will install them free of charge if you agree to a long term contract. There is no government regulation on the price of the gas for these tanks, so you may find that this costs you more in the long term.

Useful Resources

Repsol Butano
Bottled Gas Supplier
www.repsol.com/es_en
Telephones: (34) 91 348 81 00 / (34) 91 348 80 00

Gas Natural
www.gasnatural.com
Tel: 902 200 850
Tel: 900 750 750 (emergency number)