Cost of gas set to fall

THE cost of heating a home with gas is set to ease slightly, as the regulated price falls by a little more than 1% on February 1 - a month after it went up 1.8%.

Le Figaro reports that a fall in gas prices on the international market has contributed to the fall for the 7.4million households in France that heat their properties with gas.

This month, the regulated price of gas for domestic consumers went up 1.8% due to the doubling of the domestic tax on the consumption of natural gas - but with prices now reviewed on a monthly rather than quarterly basis, that increase has been mostly wiped out within a month.

The drop in gas prices - both internationally and for domestic consumers - is partly linked to the tumbling oil price.

The cost of a barrel of crude oil has tumbled on the world markets by about 60% in recent months - and briefly plunged overnight below the $50 a barrel mark on the New York stock exchange before closing at $50.04.

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