Irish Water Conncetion Fee

Faiche Ro

Has anyone been quoted a connection fee recently for an individual new build?

I was quoted 4000 Euro about 11 months ago, unfortunately (like most people) our build got delayed and the quote expired. I have just received a phone call from irish water saying tat since April they are now looking after the connection process (not the local authorities) and my quote is likely to run into the '10's of thousands'!!

Has any one had a similar cost for connection? This seems extortionate. Are there any alternatives or am I completely screwed?

JoeA3

Irish Water standardised the fee only in April this year. It is now a €2,272 flat fee for a new connection. That is assuming your site fulfils the criteria they have for a standard connection. E.g. if you are a long distance from the nearest mains connection point, then you will get hit with further costs.

It's all on their website.

Faiche Ro

JoeA3 wrote: »

Irish Water standardised the fee only in April this year. It is now a €2,272 flat fee for a new connection. That is assuming your site fulfils the criteria they have for a standard connection. E.g. if you are a long distance from the nearest mains connection point, then you will get hit with further costs.

It's all on their website.

Thanks ya I’ve been doing research since I got the call.

They are looking for 34,500 euro for the same work I was quoted 3,900 euro for 11 months ago

JoeA3

Faiche Ro wrote: »

Thanks ya I’ve been doing research since I got the call.

They are looking for 34,500 euro for the same work I was quoted 3,900 euro for 11 months ago

Oh my god :eek:
What’s the breakdown on that?!

Faiche Ro

JoeA3 wrote: »

Oh my god :eek:
What’s the breakdown on that?!

They didn’t give a detailed breakdown just that’s its 358 euro for every meter away from the water mains.
We’re building down a small country road that for some reason doesn’t have a water main but the 2 prices quoted are for the exact same thing. Which to me is a the very definition of extortion, it can be done for way cheaper but they are willing to screw someone just because they can.

JoeA3

To my mind 34k for a length of pipe to a mains (even if it is several hundred metres) is extortion and personally if I was faced with such a bill it would blow me out of the water and make the build not feasible.

I've heard of several other cases like this though, there's a Facebook group for self-builders and Irish Water woes comes up on there frequently.

dellas1979

It is extortionate.

I pay the same cost per meter as you (we all do), but Ive a water mains connection outside the gate (albeit other side of the road). For 13 meters away from house, its e3500.

They are not backing down for any case. If for example they reduce the fee for you, they have to reduce the fee for me and everyone else also. So not as straight forward as you think.

The fee is unfair, but it has to be transparent for all. And it is relative.

If I was in your position, I would look into cost of sinking a well.

Edit: 3500 for 13 meters. They are looking for 34k. You must be about 130 meters (or 0.12/13 kilometers) from mains?

Faiche Ro

dellas1979 wrote: »

It is extortionate.

I pay the same cost per meter as you (we all do), but Ive a water mains connection outside the gate (albeit other side of the road). For 13 meters away from house, its e3500.

They are not backing down for any case. If for example they reduce the fee for you, they have to reduce the fee for me and everyone else also. So not as straight forward as you think.

The fee is unfair, but it has to be transparent for all. And it is relative.

If I was in your position, I would look into cost of sinking a well.

Edit: 3500 for 13 meters. They are looking for 34k. You must be about 130 meters (or 0.12/13 kilometers) from mains?

Ya we’re 100 meters from the mains. The killer is I got a quote from them last year that was 3,700.

JoeA3

So it's 358 euro per metre of pipe if you're outside the "standard" 10 metres. Ouch.

I think you might need to investigate if digging a well is an alternative option.

Faiche Ro

JoeA3 wrote: »

So it's 358 euro per metre of pipe if you're outside the "standard" 10 metres. Ouch.

I think you might need to investigate if digging a well is an alternative option.

Ya definitely - only problem is I think you need to include that with the planning up front. Rang the planning office this morning and they just said put my request in writing.

Just disgusted by Irish Water.

Effects

Faiche Ro wrote: »

Just disgusted by Irish Water.

You're not the only one.

We had big issues with them in 2017. They wanted us to build two huge manholes in our garden at an extra cost of €18k. We got lucky though and managed to have some strings pulled. Still cost a huge amount for the connection though.

Wildly Boaring

I'm gonna stick my head above the parapet.

Irish water are pretty much passing on their costs here. They get nothing for doing this connection from the state. The LA had "free" labour and plant once done by own gang.

I reckon 200 a metre minimum to get contractor to lay. Irish water now essentially have to pay LA for any shutdown and tie ins under service level agreement. Then irish water have their own overheads.

Irish water have to maintain this new pipe forever up to your boundary.

Faiche Ro

Wildly Boaring wrote: »

I'm gonna stick my head above the parapet.

Irish water are pretty much passing on their costs here. They get nothing for doing this connection from the state. The LA had "free" labour and plant once done by own gang.

I reckon 200 a metre minimum to get contractor to lay. Irish water now essentially have to pay LA for any shutdown and tie ins under service level agreement. Then irish water have their own overheads.

Irish water have to maintain this new pipe forever up to your boundary.

So your saying the local authority would have carried out these works for 3,700 last year but the same people are now charging Irish water 35K to do them this year?

Wildly Boaring

Nope

I'm saying the LA used to do it themselves most of the time.
They did it with their own crews and basically it cost the taxpayer.

Irish water do not use the LA to do the work.
I see them using GMC in Dublin a lot.
Contractor will charge over €200/m all in (going by what long lengths are costing to lay these days)

Irish water will also have to pay the LA for their time as the LA do any shut downs and the LA generally do the final connection to the existing main and even to the customer (at the meter).

Irish Water have overheads.


As i said i'm putting my head above the parapet as this country has decided everything irish water do is the work of the devil

Wildly Boaring

And apologies, I realise this is affecting you in reality and not the abstract.

Unfortunately it looks like you will have to drill a well.

You also have the added problem that the LA planners will check with Irish Water prior to allowing the well be drilled.
You will need to talk to your engineer on how best proceed in this instance.
Irish Water generally write back to the planners that they have no service and so the planners allow the well.
You now have a massive quote from them and IW may write that there is a main locally.

pynchy

Another sad water connection thread. Is any hope.

Sorry for bringing up an old thread. Do Irish Water charge per metre from the the connection point to the house itself? Or is it from the connection point to the site?