Gas suppliers for heating of a building

The vicarage is in a fairly remote location so we are not connected to the main gas network. We have to heat our building with gas from a storage tank buried in our garden. Having just received a hefty bill from our current supplier of gas I was wondering if it's possible to fill the tank up with gas from another supplier. Or am I tied to my current money grabbing devil of a gas supplier?

And no, I can't be bothered to read the contract.

Why shouldn't you be able to get your gas from a different supplier? Just phone around other suppliers and ask for the unit price (plus any delivery costs) and pick the lowest.

I think a price comparsion web site link has been posted here before, have a search...

Silly me. I thought it would be more complicated than that. I'll have a bash and see what happens.


Couldn't find it.

http://www.gastarife-online.de

Who owns the tank?

If it's not your gas tank, but the one from your current supplier you want to get away from:
he may charge heavily for removing it from the ground. Also, he might refuse to sell it
to you - little "punishments".

Another point - how fast can you get out of your current contract?

Are you sure it's "gas" as in "Liquefied Petroleum Gas"? Although not impossible that would be most unusual around here as a heating source...

Good point I forgot to mention.

The option to choose your supplier ("competition") only refers to "Erdgas", as far as I know.
But even with the liquid gas there could be problems ref changing the supplier,
if you have a long-term contract.

In remote areas, liquid gas is common.

In Germany, I would dispute this. In fact, well travelled as I am, I've never seen it. It would be an expensive option for heating, compared, say to oil (which is very common in remote areas). I have seen LPG used for cooking services, but it's rare. The choices would typically be oil, mains gas (if available) or electricity (storage) - not common in recent times, often of late backed up with solar energy of some sort.

Liquid Gas ("Flüssiggas") is very common in these parts. Almost everyone in the village has it. I rent the tank from supplier X and, until now, have filled it with liquid gas from supplier X. The question is if I can keep the tank from supplier X and fill with liquid gas from supplier Y.

Supplier X = greedy bastards
Supplier Y = nice people

Then the answer is quite simple - read the contract. That's where the answer will lie...

You mean I have to get off my fat arse and rummage for a few hours. Fat chance.

**** some minutes later ****

Er, actually the contract wasn't that painful to find. Unfortunately, it appears I've agreed to only fill up my tank with gas from the same company who owns the tank. Bugger.

Unless Company Y refuses to fill the tank or tells company X that they filled the tank, how will company X know that somebody else filled the tank? Well that or the nosy neighbors... Or tell company X that you just arn't using as much as you did before, cause the house is only used in the summer months, and in the winter you retreat to your other home in the Arizona Desert

The thought had crossed my mind too.

..or get a quote from Company Y for a new tank and unit price of gas. If you think it's going to be cheaper for you, then phone up Company X and ask them to match the lower price coz they are too expensive.

@The Vicar

You might also wnat to look here

That only applies to mains-fed services.
I'm sure the supplier will check the gas tank regularly, probably once a year. For safety reasons they may be required to. If they find more gas in the tank than when they last checked it, or remarkably little consumption between checks, they might be a tad suspicious. It's also not impossible that their tank connectors are unique prohibiting others from filling it.