Residents uphappy with natural gas switch

HEATHCOTE natural gas users are unhappy with the decision to cut off their supply by the end of next year.

Solstice Energy recently announced it will phase out natural gas in Heathcote, Robinvale, Swan Hill, Kerang, Nathalia, Marong, Maldon, Terang, Lakes Entrance and Orbost.

Natural gas in these areas operates differently from other networks.

The towns are on a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) network, where gas is compressed in another town and trucked. The process is more expensive.

The move means that natural gas users will have to transition to bottled gas or switch to electric heating and cooking by late 2026.

A spokesperson from Solstice Energy said the service is no longer viable.

“We have now had to implement a further price rise for customers, so we want to find a better option for them,” the spokesperson said.

“Rather than continuing to raise prices in the future, we are instead supporting our customers to switch to bottled LPG or electricity and then closing the CNG networks by the end of 2026.”

The company is offering two options for when the CNG network closes, one where customers can self-manage the change the other where Solstice Energy will pay an approved gas fitter directly.

Many residents are disappointed with the decision after switching to natural gas when it became available ten years ago.

“We changed from bottle gas to town gas, and it was expensive,” said resident Lyn Furneaux. “Now we will have to pay more to change over to bottle or electricity.

“Solstice Energy is offering some compensation which will be different for each affected household depending on what they have and for many of us it will still cost an arm and a leg.

“I would like to know if the supply service was offered to other gas companies. It seems they have already made up their minds without any consultation with their customers.

“The first I heard about it was a Facebook post several days ago. We still haven’t received any communication from them.”

Resident Sue Callick said that as well as the decision to cut off the CNG network, customers have been dealt another blow with prices rising by a third next week.

“There has been no consultation with us and now they are raising prises as well,” she said.

“Based on the new rate we will be paying an extra $120 per month.

“On top of what we will have to pay to have our appliances switched this is completely wrong.

“Added to that, we have under floor heating, and we have been told it can’t be converted to bottle gas.

“We are all left up in the air because they can’t even tell you when they will come to changeover our appliances.”

For more information on the options available, affected residents can go to the Solstice Energy Victoria website.