Gas tariffs will be set by how much you burn — and the new rates land in December

On 29 October the Georgian parliament passed, at third reading and by 75 votes to five, a law allowing the National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission to set household gas tariffs by level of consumption rather than at a single flat rate. JAMnews reports the bill was fast-tracked and cleared parliament within three days, and that the commission's powers under it run until 1 January 2038. The law contains no prices and no consumption thresholds. Asked about both, the bill's sponsor Shota Berekashvili referred the question to the regulator, saying only that heavier consumers would pay more.

Four companies serve Georgian households, each on a single rate per cubic metre. Tbilisi Energy, which covers most of the capital, charges 53.9 tetri, about $0.21. SOCAR Georgia Gas, which covers most of the country outside Tbilisi and several other settlements, charges 56.9 tetri, as does Sakorgaz. Telavgaz, a small regional supplier, charges 58.9 tetri. JAMnews cites a GNERC report, via Gurianews, putting average annual consumption for a Tbilisi household at 1,304 cubic metres, which works out at roughly ₾704 a year at the current Tbilisi tariff. Those are the figures against which any December decision will be read.

The distinction is worth holding onto. GNERC has the power; it has not used it. The commission's stated aims are protecting socially vulnerable households, keeping utility services accessible and encouraging efficient use. Chairman Davit Narmania said on 21 October that gas and water tariffs would be reviewed by year end, without saying how. Neither the regulator nor the bill's sponsors have said how many households might end up paying more. Several politicians have asserted that a rise is already decided — Roman Gotsiridze among them — but JAMnews notes none produced evidence, and the analyst Kakha Kakishvili explicitly declined to claim a decision had been taken. Set against that, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said in May 2026 that gas tariffs would stay unchanged.

Georgia already prices electricity in tiers, which is the nearest thing to a guide to how a tiered gas system might feel. From 1 April 2026 household electricity rose by five tetri per kWh and commercial rates by four to six tetri, on GNERC's decision. In Tbilisi, Telmico's household rate runs from 20.041 tetri per kWh at the lowest tier up to 28.537 tetri as consumption rises; in the regions, EP Georgia Supply runs from 19.731 up to 28.227 tetri. The spread between the bottom and top household tier is therefore around 42% of the lowest rate. Narmania has said the commission expects those electricity rates to hold for several years. Whether December brings a comparable structure to gas, and at what spread, is the question the law has left open.