How many have meters installed?

Benedict

Can you tell me how many homes have meters installed? It is well known that a significant number of homes refused to allow installation. There are also home-owners lucky enough not to have had meters installed when IW decided to stop installations. (Unlike those with meters, neither of the above two categories will be targeted for "excessive use" charges if they exceed the limit)

So, the question is, how many homes actually have meters installed?

Irish Water: Siobhan

Hi Benedict,

Thanks for your query.

Irish Water has installed just under 900,000 domestic meters as part of domestic metering program.

Kind Regards,
Siobhan

Benedict

Irish Water: Siobhan wrote: »

Hi Benedict,

Thanks for your query.

Irish Water has installed just under 900,000 domestic meters as part of domestic metering program.

Kind Regards,
Siobhan

Thanks Siobhán,

So let's say approximately 900, 000 homes have a water meter installed. And as I understand it, there are approximately 2.2 million homes in the country. Some homes will have special arrangements for water (such as wells and private water systems). But there are many homes which have prevented the installation of meters and many also which have no meter installed due to the fact that IW abandoned installations before all homes were visited.

It is a fact that only those homes with meters will be charged in the event of excessive usage. And if each of four people in a house have a 5 minute power-shower, there is not much left to use without going over the daily limit and running the risk of being billed. And there is no such barrier if you live in a home without a meter.

If you live in a home with no meter, you can have as many power-showers as you like, wash the car, turn on the lawn sprinkler and click on the dishwasher. And unlike the "metered" homes, you need not worry about being billed.

And for every home with a meter, there is probably near enough to one who should have one, but doesn't.

This situation is bizarre, grossly unfair and highly discriminatory and will inevitably be challenged when the bills for excessive usage begin to arrive.

The plan is to create a kind of apartheid. One half of the homeowners have to watch it or they'll get a bill. The other half are free to do as they please.

Even normally law-abiding citizens will rebel against a system which is as blatantly unfair as this one.

Irish Water need to go back to the drawing board or they'll have yet another fiasco on their hands. It's difficult to know what IW can do now. They can't really start again to install meters because we saw what happened last time. IW really is in quite a fix. But the current plan simply can't work.

Irish Water: Agata

Hi Benedict,

Thanks for your query, more detail on excessive charging can be found a on the CRU's website here.

Irish Water will be updating our website and responding to more detailed queries on charges in due course.

Kind regards,
Agata

Benedict

Hi Agata,

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my observations and I have now looked through the CRU website/report that you referenced.

Once again, I must say that it is quite clear that for whatever reasons, Irish Water plan to monitor those homes with meters and to impose charges on them if they they use more than the allowed quota. At the same time, Irish Water plans to ignore the usage of those homes which have avoided meter installation - either by obstruction of installers or because installations ceased before their turn came to be metered.

So... while approximately one half of homes have to curb usage or pay the price, the other half is completely free to use as much water as they please and without financial penalty.

Nothing in the CRU report shows that this is a wrong assessment of the plan and if you think I am wrong Agata, then please tell me. And if anyone else reading this blog can show me that I am wrong, then please do so.

In the meantime, I suggest that the blatant unfairness of this plan will make it untenable and unsustainable.

Regards,

Benedict.