Heating becomes a luxury for many Armenians amid high gas prices

Heating homes with natural gas is becoming an unaffordable luxury for many Armenians this winter, as colder weather drives up consumption and household energy bills.

Several Armenians who contacted Panorama.am said they are paying tens of thousands of drams a month to heat their homes, despite cutting back where possible. One resident said he only partially heated his two-storey house with gas, supplementing it with electricity and a solar power system, yet still paid about 90,000 drams for gas in December. Another resident from a village in Ararat Province said his December gas bill reached 70,000 drams.

With cold temperatures persisting, households fear January bills will be even higher. To reduce costs, many people turn off heating when they are not at home or heat only part of their apartments and houses. In rural areas, some families have continued to rely on wood-burning stoves, saying gas prices remain prohibitively expensive.

Armenia’s regulated tariff for household consumers stands at 143.7 drams per cubic meters of natural gas, according to official rates. By regional standards, that makes gas in Armenia among the most expensive.

In neighboring Georgia, households pay roughly 76 drams per cubic meter, about 47% less than in Armenia. Gas prices are even lower in several other countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East.

In Belarus, gas costs around 25 drams per cubic meter, about 82% cheaper than in Armenia. Ukrainian consumers pay roughly 44% less, while prices in Turkey are about 51% lower. In Egypt, gas is around 74% cheaper than in Armenia.

In major gas-producing states, the gap is even wider. Russian consumers pay about 76% less, while prices in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are approximately 78% and 80% lower, respectively. In Algeria, gas is around 92% cheaper than in Armenia.

In Iran, household gas prices are estimated to be about 97% lower, while in Iraq they are roughly 98% cheaper. In Turkmenistan, natural gas is provided to households free of charge.