FAQ - Billing

Irish Water: Kim

1. What are Irish Water charging customers for & how much will it cost?


Irish water is charging customers for the provision of drinking water through the public water mains and the removal and treatment of waste water through the public sewerage system.
The combined charge for both services is €3.70 per 1000 litres. However the current annual capped charges of €160 for a single adult household, €260 for a multiple (2+) adult household and €125 for an unoccupied dwelling will apply until end 2018. If you only receive one service then you will pay 50% of the aforementioned charges.


2. What payment methods are available?


There will be a range of payment methods available allowing customers to pay their water bills conveniently. These include:


•Online Account Management - You can make payments easily using a My Water online account. My Water online accounts allow you to view and pay your water services bills, sign up for paperless billing and set up Direct Debit. You can sign up for a My Water online account here.


•Direct Debit - You can sign up to Direct Debit by completing our Direct Debit Mandate form, available here and return it to:


Irish Water,

PO Box 860,

South City Delivery Office,

Cork City,

Ireland.


•Online Banking / Electronic Fund Transfer - Payment can be made through your bank's online payment option. You will need the Irish Water International Bank Account Number (IBAN): IE29 AIBK 9333 8464 3085 94 and the Irish Water Bank Identifier Code (BIC): AIBKIE2D. Please include your Irish Water account number as a reference with the payment.


•Mybills.ie - You can pay through An Post’s free online service here by using your debit card.


•Cash - You can pay your bill at any retail outlet where you see the Pay Point, Pay zone and Post Point signs or at any Post Office. You can pay your bill or make a part payment of a minimum value of €5.


•Phone - You can call us on 1890 448 448 or +353 1 7072824 to make card payments over the phone.


•Cheque - You can post a cheque, together with a completed payment slip (attached to the bill) to:


Customer Services,

Irish Water,

PO Box 860,

South City Delivery Office,
Cork City,

Ireland.


3. I have no meter, when I get a meter I am using less water than I have been charged for on my bill, what happens?


If you do not have a meter, you will commence paying the relevant maximum charge (€160/260). If/when you move to a meter, your consumption for the first year is less than the maximum charge, you will be due a once-off rebate on the amount you paid before you moved to a meter.


4. Will customers receive a receipt

No the invoice will act as the receipt. Payments will be visible on your next bill. Alternatively you can view payment history and any outstanding balance online by signing up for online account management here.

5. Why am I being charged equally for my waste water out as I am for drinking water in? Should this not be cheaper?

No, the Water Charges Plan approved by the Commission for Energy Regulation on 3rd March provides that Irish Water will set Wastewater volume at 100% of the Domestic Customer’s Water Supply volume unless the Domestic Customer can demonstrate that its Wastewater is not discharged to Irish Water’s Wastewater network. Therefore if domestic premises are discharging wastewater to the public sewer, the CER has determined that its volume should be set equal to the water supplied to the premises... As long as a domestic customer is discharging wastewater to the public sewer it should always be set at 100%, this is the intention of the WCP.

6. How many litres of water have to be used before you hit the €160 & €260 cap?


The combined charge per cubic metre (1,000 litres) for both water in and water out is €3.70. Therefore the cap would come into effect should a single occupancy customer use more than 43,243 litres in a year and should a multiple occupancy customer use more than 70,270 litres in a year.

7. Why does billing information state children's allowance is 21,000 litres per child per service, is this correct?

Yes this is correct; the children's water allowance is set at 21,000 litres per service (Water in and Water) out per child. In this case if you have both services i.e. public mains and public sewer, you are entitled to a combined 42,000 litres per child under the age of 18 permanently resident at the property.

8. If my water is not fit for human consumption, will I receive a discount and if so how quickly?

Irish Water is committed to providing water that is fit for consumption uniformly across the country. Where water is unfit for human consumption, affected customers will receive a 100% discount on the costs of their water supply for the duration of the restriction. They will only pay for the waste water treatment. For domestic customers, water quality related discounts will apply in the following instances: Where a boil water notice is issued for greater that 24 hours or Where a Drinking Water Restriction Notice is served on an occupier for greater than 24 hours. This discount will be for the water supply component of their bill only and not applicable to waste water.

9. I have hard Water am I entitled to a discount because of this?

The CER (www.cer.ie) published three Response and Decision Papers and a summary Decision Paper relating to the Water Charges Plan for the period 01 October 2014 – 31 December 2016. These papers address the responses received to the CER Water Charges Plan Consultation (CER/14/366) and detail the decisions made by the CER following a review of same. The decision paper (CER/14/746) states: “The CER has noted that a significant number of respondents raised the issue of hard water as one that should qualify for discounts, the CER notes that hard water does not render the water supply unfit for human consumption and as such it will not qualify for the discount”

10. What happens if I don’t pay my water bill?


Your bill will automatically fall in to an "Overdue" status once the 14 day payment term set out by the due date on your bill has elapsed. The Water Services Act (No.2) Act 2013 does not allow customers to be disconnected for not paying their water bill. Irish Water will engage with customers to understand the reason for non-payment and may be able to provide a solution, taking into account the customer’s circumstance.
All customers who have unpaid arrears of at least the annual capped charge and haven’t entered into a payment plan with Irish Water, will attract an automatic late payment penalty of €30 (1 adult household) or €60 (all other households) for each year that the charges remain unpaid. This will be added to bills three months following a year of non-payment.

nicolac

General query on the billing policies for areas with no meters. 
I am in an apartment so I have no idea when/if we will be getting water metres.  However, the set amount being charged for 2 people who are both in full time employment outside the home is a LOT more than what my parents are being charged via their meter. 

They are a 2 person household, both retired and with a garden so in theory, their actual usage should be more than the apartment example I have given.  Are there any plans to change the set amount for those that are unmetered given that there is now hard data based on actual average use?

Thanks,
     Nicola.

Irish Water: Amy A

Hi Nicola,

Thanks for contacting our page.

nicolac wrote: »

Are there any plans to change the set amount for those that are unmetered given that there is now hard data based on actual average use?

In the first phase of the metering programme, apartments will not receive a water meter and will be billed on an assessed rate. Irish Water are carrying out a study on how to meter dwellings that are technically difficult to meter (including apartments and shared supplies).

Irish Water has carried out a study on these matters, which will form the basis of a proposal to be submitted to the CER for a 'Phase Two' programme with the aim of commencing this in 2017. More information will be released as soon as it is available.

Due to capped charging which is in place until 2018, the maximum charge will not exceed 260EUR per property, per year. See here for more information on billing and charges.

I hope this information helps. Please don't hesitate to contact us again should you have any further queries.

Kind regards,
Amy.

nicolac

Irish Water: Amy wrote: »

Hi Nicola,

Thanks for contacting our page.

nicolac wrote: »

Are there any plans to change the set amount for those that are unmetered given that there is now hard data based on actual average use?

In the first phase of the metering programme, apartments will not receive a water meter and will be billed on an assessed rate. Irish Water are carrying out a study on how to meter dwellings that are technically difficult to meter (including apartments and shared supplies).

Irish Water has carried out a study on these matters, which will form the basis of a proposal to be submitted to the CER for a 'Phase Two' programme with the aim of commencing this in 2017. More information will be released as soon as it is available.

Due to capped charging which is in place until 2018, the maximum charge will not exceed 260EUR per property, per year. See here for more information on billing and charges.

I hope this information helps. Please don't hesitate to contact us again should you have any further queries.

Kind regards,
Amy.

Hi Amy,

Thanks for the reply.  Unfortunately I don't think it answers my question.  I understand that apartments etc will not receive a meter in this phase and that is accepted and I see from your message that Irish Water are looking at ways to resolve how to meter these types of dwellings. 

However, my question was asking whether the set amount charged to unmetered dwellings will change based on facts now gathered on actual average usage given that the real life example I have given highlights a situation where a 2 person unmetered household is charged significantly more than a 2 person metered household where in this example, the metered household has the residents at home more because they are retired and they also have a garden which an apartment does not. 

I accept the capped charging, I am querying the amount set for unmetered apartments. 

Thanks,
Nicola.

Irish Water: Niall

Hi nicolac,

nicolac wrote: »

Hi Amy,

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately I don't think it answers my question. I understand that apartments etc will not receive a meter in this phase and that is accepted and I see from your message that Irish Water are looking at ways to resolve how to meter these types of dwellings.

However, my question was asking whether the set amount charged to unmetered dwellings will change based on facts now gathered on actual average usage given that the real life example I have given highlights a situation where a 2 person unmetered household is charged significantly more than a 2 person metered household where in this example, the metered household has the residents at home more because they are retired and they also have a garden which an apartment does not.

I accept the capped charging, I am querying the amount set for unmetered apartments.

Thanks,
Nicola.

I understand your query however the capped charges are set out by the Commission of Energy Regulator and will be reviewed after 2018.

If after moving to a meter, a household’s consumption for the first year is less than the relevant capped charge, households who have registered, will be due a rebate on the amount they paid before moving to a meter. This will be automatically calculated by Irish Water and applied as a once off credit to the customer’s account.

I hope this information is helpful.

Kind regards,
Niall