The Carisbrook to Horsham gas pipeline, which is owned by Gas Pipelines Victoria, is fully contracted to EnergyAustralia. This means that unless another prospective user is prepared to enter into a contract, they cannot independently transport gas along this pipeline unless EnergyAustralia on-sells some of its capacity.

A spokeswoman for Red Energy said the company had explored entering the region in the past six months, but access was not possible with its current gas arrangements.

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"We have a contract with a gas wholesaler which is not in the region, so selling into the Wimmera region is not possible via that channel," she said.

"We are investigating the commerciality of setting up new arrangements but this is complicated and is likely to come with some risk to the business given the small size of the market."

Origin Energy also expressed interest in entering the market in February.

A spokesman said the company remained interested, but its plans had not progressed since this time.

A government-imposed price cap that ran from 1999 until 2013 meant EnergyAustralia could only increase gas prices by the Consumer Price Index value each year.

This was known as the Wimmera and Colac Gas Supply Tariff Order 1998, ended by the then coalition government with a long-term view to encouraging more retail competition in the region.

Member for Lowan Emma Kealy said the government was in the process of negotiating another price cap before losing the 2014 State Election.

"The energy minister has the opportunity to introduce tariffs," she said.

"The government can intervene where there is price gouging and unfair charges being applied. There needs to be a fixed cap on price increases going forward. We want it to be viable to supply gas to the region but we're seeing a completely unregulated market."

Andrew Sostheim isn't happy he's paying $3980 a year to heat his home and have hot showers.

But to change things, he'll need to spend more money.

The Horsham electrician, 41, said he was considering paying to install a solar system unless competition entered the Wimmera gas market soon.

Mr Sostheim said his concerns with gas prices had been ongoing for four years. "In winter we might be paying $14 or $15 a day for gas," he said.

"In June last year, EnergyAustralia sent residents offers in the mail with discounts for paying bills on time, but then I've called up and they've said we didn't qualify for those offers due to the type of gas meter - probably the fact they're the only retailer in Horsham.

"With electricity you've got all these different retailers and you can go to websites to find your best deal, but with gas you're lumped with the one retailer."

Mr Sostheim lives with his wife Cate and children Tom, 13, Archie, 11 and Stella, seven. Cate runs a small business - a family daycare - out of the couple's home.

"As a business we have to provide a warm environment for the children to work in, but we have to make sure we're limiting the gas where possible," he said.

"I think we have to install solar. The price of energy is not going to be coming down any time soon, so I think we need to be looking at renewables. I've spoken to people about pulling the gas out and going into a split system.

"You still need to spend $1000 or so to get it installed, even with rebates."

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Mr Sostheim spoke to the Mail-Times in 2015, saying Wimmera residents were being overcharged for gas because EnergyAustralia was estimating meter readings.

A spokeswoman from dispute resolution service the Energy and Water Ombudsman of Victoria Horsham Rural City residents made 14 complaints about high energy bills in the 2018-19 financial year, up from six the year before. In Ararat Rural City there were seven complaints, up from three.

Wimmera residents made 28 complaints across the 2017-18 financial year, up from 19 for the previous 12 months.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission advises people who wish to complain to contact their gas retailer as quickly as possible to explain the problem and the outcome they want.

It recommends keeping a note of the phone call, including the date and name of the person spoken to, and speaking to a manager and after that the ombudsman if the problem is not resolved.

An ACCC inquiry into the supply of and demand for wholesale gas in Australia was ongoing.

Its most recent report, published last month, noted concerns about the accessibility of capacity on regional pipelines including Carisbrook to Horsham. The ACCC intends to look at the issue in more detail before the end of the year.

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