Published on 

Minister Kelly announces water reforms

IrishWaterPostKellyCoffeyMinister Alan Kelly and Minister of State Paudie Coffey brief the media

Environment Minister Alan Kelly today announced that the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) has approved a water charges plan for Irish Water. 

The key measures are as follows:

  • Starting date for domestic water charging now pushed back to 1 January 2015; first bills to issue from
  • April 2015.
  • Capped annual charges are being set - the capped charges will be €160 for single adult  households and €260 for all other households until end 2018, with specific legislative provision to be made to allow for capped charges to continue to be set from 2019 onwards;
  • All eligible households will receive a water conservation grant of €100 per year;
  • The net yearly cost for water will be either €60 for a single adult household or €160 for all other households until the end of 2018;
  • For the purpose of metered bills, the charge for water in/out is reduced to €3.70 per 1,000 litres (almost 25% lower than the previous subsidised rate);
  • Households with either a water supply only or sewage only service will pay 50% of these rates;
  • Metered usage can lead to lower charges than the relevant capped charge; the Children’s allowance remains at 21,000 litres per annum and will apply to all persons resident in the dwelling aged under 18 (irrespective of whether the child qualifies for Child Benefit), meaning children will continue to go free; 
  • Dwellings that are not permanently occupied will pay a minimum of €125 per year (€62.50 per service) up to a cap of €260;
  • PPS Numbers will not be required for registration with Irish Water

For more information, read the full document on Irish Water here.