A Moldovan resident has posted a video showing her October gas bill: 950 lei for just 36 cubic metres. She says the heating was switched off throughout the month. Her house is insulated with a 15-centimetre layer of insulation.
“We didn’t even turn on the heating in October. It wasn’t on at all — perhaps it switched on automatically when the temperature dropped slightly, but October was still quite warm. Our house is insulated with a 15-centimetre layer, so it’s very well insulated. And just to give you an idea, we used 36 cubic metres of gas, and the bill came to 950 lei,” she says in the video.
Since October 1, Moldova’s regulated gas tariff has stood at 26.14 lei per cubic metre, including VAT. At that rate, 36 cubic metres should cost 941 lei. The bill is nine lei higher, a difference the woman does not explain. Almost the entire amount, however, is accounted for by the gas charge itself, rather than heating.
The price has climbed sharply in just two months. In August, a cubic metre cost 14.42 lei. On September 1, the tariff rose to 20.30 lei, followed by another increase to 26.14 lei on October 1. That is an 81% rise since August.
Gas is becoming a luxury
The woman says she has decided not to connect her new house to the gas network. Instead, she plans to install a heat pump, solar panels and battery storage.
“I’ve decided not to bring gas into the house we’re building. I don’t think it makes sense anymore. We’re considering installing a heat pump, plenty of solar panels and batteries. That seems to be the way forward. If we can also feed electricity back into the grid, we’ll get the appropriate credit, making the whole system even more economical.
“I see no point in investing in gas at current prices. It would make sense if gas cost four to seven lei per cubic metre — ten lei at the absolute most. At that price, you could still justify the investment,” she said.
She also argues that heating a house with an air conditioner is cheaper than using gas.
The cost becomes clearer when applied to a larger volume. At the current tariff, 100 cubic metres of gas cost 2,614 lei. In December 2024, when the tariff was 16.74 lei per cubic metre, the same amount cost 1,674 lei.
On October 27, Moldovagaz chief executive Vadim Ceban explained why falling gas consumption does not necessarily lead to lower tariffs. His explanation points to a paradox: the less gas people use, the higher the infrastructure costs can become for each cubic metre they buy.
“High tariffs lead households and businesses to cut their gas consumption, holding back economic growth and social welfare. At the same time, the costs of maintaining the distribution network remain unchanged. As consumption falls, a larger share of those infrastructure costs has to be included in the price of each cubic metre,” Ceban wrote.
In practical terms, the gas network was built to handle much higher demand. The pipes, emergency services and staff still have to be maintained, even when customers use less gas. Those fixed costs are then spread across fewer cubic metres, pushing up the cost of each one.
Ceban says Moldovagaz’s infrastructure was designed for a population almost twice the size of today’s and for a much more energy-intensive economy.
That leaves consumers in an awkward position: using less gas may reduce their individual consumption, but it does not necessarily bring down the price per cubic metre. Those who remain connected to the network may end up shouldering a larger share of its fixed costs.
How did the gas tariff reach 26 lei?
Moldova’s gas tariff is set by the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE). The final price includes the cost of purchasing gas, transmission, distribution, supply and 8% VAT.
The main reason for the latest increase was the higher cost of purchasing gas. For October to December 2026, state-owned supplier Energocom used a procurement price of 17,050 lei per 1,000 cubic metres, up from 12,150 lei in its previous calculation. The company also reported a deficit of 182 million lei accumulated between January and September.
Moldova has been under a state of emergency in the energy and hydrological sectors since September 26. On September 28, ANRE approved a second gas price increase in the space of a month.
Heating tariffs went up that same day. In Chisinau, the price rose to 3,277 lei per gigacalorie; in Balti, it reached 3,374 lei. Those increases amounted to 62% and 53%, respectively.
At the new gas rate, 100 cubic metres cost 2,614 lei — a substantial expense for households that rely on gas heating. Those using electric heating may need gas only for cooking and hot water, but their electricity bills are also set to rise.
At the end of October, electricity supplier Premier Energy asked ANRE to increase its tariff from 3.56 to 4.64 lei per kilowatt-hour.
Before ANRE announced its decision, Prime Minister Vasile Tofan said prices on trading platforms were hovering around $1,000 per 1,000 cubic metres — approximately 50% above the price used in the tariff calculation.
Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu had already argued on September 24 that tariffs needed to be adjusted promptly to prevent businesses from accumulating unpaid bills.
“Let us learn from these lessons. The first is to be honest with our citizens and adjust tariffs in a timely manner,” Grosu said.
But consumers have seen no reduction in the prices they pay. Opposition politicians and economists warn that the latest increases may not be the last.
On September 28, opposition parties staged a protest outside ANRE’s headquarters. The demonstration was announced by Chisinau Mayor Ion Ceban, with representatives of the Party of Socialists, Our Party and Democracy at Home taking part.
The November bills will show how much gas households used in October, when the new tariff was already in force. At 26.14 lei per cubic metre, 36 cubic metres should cost 941 lei. The woman in the video was charged 950 lei — despite saying she had not turned on her heating.
And the colder months are still ahead. November and December will bring higher heating demand and, for many households, even larger bills.
“Is anyone still connecting their home to the gas network these days?” the woman asks.
