Veolia Heating/Communal Boiler

Sparkling Gamorreans

Does anyone here live in a development that has a communal heating/hot water boiler where the developer originally locked the development into a long term multi decade contract with Dalkie, who were later taken over by Veolia? I've bought in such a development and even during the low natural gas prices my bi monthly bills are never less than €100 with moderate hot water usage and no heat. There's three portions to your bill:

• Your own usage
• Network Heat charge (no of sq metres of your apartment x number of days x a fluctuating unit charge)
• Standing charge - About €30 p.m. flat

I can't figure out what this middle charge represents. I think it may be heating for the common area but it is always very high even during the summer. I can't figure out if they're gouging everyone or what exactly is going on. Did developers get kick backs to lock blocks into extortionate prices or what exactly is the story behind these arrangements? To compound the misery they have the most woeful customer service. DDs collected several months late, missed bills, irregular billing periods. Very poor setup.

Sparkling Gamorreans

Coming back to this post I've discovered I'm stuck in what's called a District Heating arrangement. It's a type of communal heating arrangement that does not fall under the remit of the CRU and is unregulated with no opportunity to bundle with electricity or switch provider.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/rising-energy-bills-no-switching-help-for-apartment-dwellers-stuck-with-one-gas-or-electricity-provider-42004186.html

Richard Boyd Barrett brought it up in the Dail yesterday:

https://twitter.com/RBoydBarrett/status/1572249192575148035?s=20&t=PaJd3RE0EPod0C985Xx1Ag

He also put a question to Eamonn Ryan back in May: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2022-05-24/85/

Doesn't look like the government comprehend the issue or have an appetite to deal with it. It's an issue separate to the general energy crisis and can't be dealt with by energy credits. It's an entirely unregulated service that you get stuck with by virtue of where you happen to live. Anyone else stuck in a District Heating arrangement?