Water Charges Information
From when will domestic water charges apply?
Domestic water charges for the farmhouse will apply from January 1, 2015
What will domestic water charges cost?
Domestic water charges are capped until the end of 2018 at these rates:
| Household | Waste supply and wastewater services | Water supply or wastewater services |
| 1 Adult | €160 per year | €80 per year |
| 2+ Adults | €260 per year | €130 per year |
Where a water meter is not installed the cost will be at the cap above.
Where a meter is installed the cost of water supplied is €1.85 per m3 (1,000 litres). An additional charge of €1.85 per m3 (1,000 litres) applies for wastewater removed. However, the charges will not exceed those in the table below, until the end of 2018 at the earliest.
Are there any allowances or offsets available?
An annual conservation grant from the Department of Social Protection of €100 is available for the principal private residence (family home), for those who register with Irish Water. This grant is available whether water is sourced from a public water supply, group water scheme or private domestic well.
Water services for children remain free.
How will I be billed for domestic water charges?
Bills will be issued from Irish Water for water used in the family home from April 2015 and will normally be issued quarterly.
What if my house is not permanently occupied?
Where a domestic house is not permanently occupied, the following charges apply: €125 per year for both services (water supply and wastewater services); €62.50 per year per service (water supply or wastewater services)
When do I have to apply to Irish Water by?
The closing date for submission of Irish Water application forms is 2 February 2015.
Do I have to give my PPS number?
No, PPS numbers are no longer required.
Farmers, similar to shop keepers who live over their shop or publicans that live over the pub, are classified as ‘mixed use customers’ who are both domestic and non-domestic customers.
There are over 500 pricing arrangements in place for mixed use customers throughout the country. These pricing arrangements are currently being examined.
It will be 12 to 18 months before decisions will be made on water charges for mixed use customers.
Until then the charges, domestic allowances and standing charges which were applied by local authorities will continue to apply.
These bills will be issued from local authorities.
Charges applied by privately owned and operated group water schemes are unaffected. However, customers of privately owned and operated group water schemes are eligible for the €100 conservation grant from the Department of Social Protection, as long as the Irish Water registration form is completed and submitted before 2 February 2015.
Group water schemes that are supplied by Irish Water will continue to be charged for their water supply by the Local Authority in the exact same way as before and with the exact same domestic allowances as have been in place. This will continue until the end of 2015 and possibly beyond.
IFA continues to seek on-going adequate funding for Group Water Schemes.
IFA has received a clear commitment that farm families who source their water exclusively from their own domestic wells will not be subject to additional water charges.
The Association continues to seek single billing for domestic and non-domestic charges and a reduction in the charge for water.