In Ireland there are a few choices for  telephone directory enquiries. The  numbers you can call for an enquiry about a telephone number (landline) are : 11850 , 11888, 11827, 11824, 11890 and 11811.

These directory enquiry companies rely on advertising and the hope that their number  will be the easiest  to remember when you need it. When people are away from a computer and need to get a telephone number quickly – they will usually call the first directory enquiry number they can remember – but which number is the cheapest to call?

The cheapest Irish telephone directory enquiry line to call  from an Eircom landline  eiis  currently  11890 “Eleven Eight Ninety”   are offering free calls frcom rom landlines  (Feb 2012 ) . Their charges were previously set at  a minimum fee of  €1.99 that covered the first minute  and a charge of  60c per minute after the first minute .  The free directory enquiries offer will probably boost the recognition of the 11890 number – and they will probably revert to charging for calls in the future.

Before 11890 introduced their free calls offer – the cheapest directory enquiry number to use was 11888  – they charge a flat rate of €0.30 per minute  with no minimum fee and no call setup charge.
So a 30 second call  from an Eircom  landline to 11888 would cost you just  15 cents.  The most expensive 30 second directory enquiry would be from 11811 – it would cost €1.49

Even if they take longer than 30 seconds to answer your enquiry – 11888  still work out cheaper. A 270 second call  to 11888 would cost €1.36 – the next cheapest would be to 11827 at €1.79. The same call to 11811 would set you back €5.49.

Some landline telephone companies charge different rates for calls to directory enquiries – but when we compared the cost of an 80 second call using different landines  – the 11888 number was the cheapest in 7 out of 11 cases.
The charges varied quite a lot – with the lowest charge being just 5c when calling 11888 from an IFA landline. The highest charge for an 80 second Directory Enquiry call was from a Digiweb phone line to 11827 – it was €3.48 .

Eircom provide the 11811 “Eleven 8 Eleven” directory enquiry service. They have a minimum charge  of 99c (inc VAT) per call and €1 (inc VAT) per minute thereafter.

11827 Charge  €1.03 for the first minute and 22c per minute thereafter.

11850 ” One One Eight Five O”  have a minimum call fee of 1.39 cent and a call rate of 69 cent per minute.
11824  have a minimum call fee of 97 cent and a call rate of 66.6 cent per minute.

Calling Directory Enquiries From a Mobile :
It doesn’t matter much which  directory enquiry number you call  from  your  mobile  – they charge will nearly always be the  same  no matter which one you call. Some mobile networks charge more than others though.

Cost of an 80 second call to Directory Enquiries from a pre-pay mobile phone  ( 11890, 11888, 11827,11824 or 11811)
Tesco : varies from  €1.17 to 11888 but €3.32 to 11850
Three :  €1.85
Vodafone :  €2.19
Meteor, eMobile, O2 : €2.31
Postfone : €3

TIP: If possible – write down the number they give you and ring it yourself. They may offer to connect you – but the charge for connecting the  call will be higher than calling it yourself.

Of course – if you have access to the internet  – the Eircom Telephone Book is free for finding residential and business numbers – so you might be able to avoid using expensive directory enquiries. (Although – we have had several problems finding numbers on the Eircom Phonebook website)

Charges updated February 2012

The legislation that brings in the requirement to register septic tanks is in the  Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011

Basically all properties that are not connected to the mains sewage will have to register  before April 2013.
In the legislation a “domestic waste water treatment system“  means a system involving physical, chemical, biological or thermal processes, or a combination of such processes, utilised for the treatment or disposal of domestic waste water, or the sludge derived from domestic waste water, and includes—

(a) all septic tanks and waste water tanks and systems receiving, storing, treating or disposing of domestic waste water and all drains associated with such  tanks or systems, and

(b) all drains associated with the discharge of domestic waste water, whether or not they discharge to a septic tank or waste water tank;

It will be an offence not to register – and a conviction will result in a Class A fine – (Max €5000 ).
Read more information about Registration Charges for  Septic Tanks Here .

In comparison – non registration for the Household  Charge is an offence that could result in a Class C fine (Max €2500)

Back in September 2011  the government released some brief outlines of the proposed charges on Septic Tanks.  Many people referred to this as the “Septic Tank Tax”.

There have been delays getting the  Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011 through the Dail – but it was finally passed in February 2012
It is going to mean yet another charge on top of the Household Tax for many rural homeowners.

This  legislation  provides for a registration and inspection system for septic tanks which is required to address a European Court of Justice ruling against Ireland.

It affects all domestic waste treatment systems – basically any property that is not connected to the main sewerage system.

Inspections of septic tanks and other waste ststems are expected to begin in 2013 and will involve checking as many as 400,000 septic tanks and waste treatment plants.  (At least it might create a few jobs)

All householders with septic tanks and other on-site systems will be required to register details of their system with the relevant local authority and a national register will be compiled and held by the EPA;

Householders will be required to pay a  septic tank registration fee :   The fee is going to be €50 – but anyone who registers in the first 3 months will only have to pay €5. See more about Septic Tank Registration Charges

Registration is expected to start in April 2012 and all households will be expected to register their waste treatment plants and septic tanks before April 2013.

Following the initial registration, householders will not be required to re-register their systems for several years – an interval of 5 years is envisaged between each registration; (No clarification is given on payment of re-registration fees)

- The revenue generated from registration fees will be used to fund the delivery of a national inspection plan which will be developed by the EPA and its roll-out will be managed by the local authorities;

Septic Tank Inspections will be concentrated on areas with higher risk to the environment and public health, they will also be carried out in lower risk areas but at a lower rate;

- Inspections may give rise to householders being advised to improve the maintenance of their systems or, in more serious situations, may require the upgrading or remediation of the treatment system.
The minister for the Environment staed in the Dail that he would ” do everything possible to ensure people do not experience financial hardship”.

If a householder is advised that their septic tank requires upgrading – they may appeal and apply for a re-inspection . This appeal will incur a fee – (not exceeding €200)

Note – Anyone who wants to apply to become a registered inspector of septic tanks  will also have to pay an application fee. (Not exceeding €1000 )

Householders are to be offered a reduced septic tank registration  fee of €5 if they register within the first three months of the new scheme.

This “early bird” incentive has been announced by Phil Hogan today. He said the normal fee of €50 will apply to registrations made after the first 3 months .  It is hoped this incentive scheme will ensure a speedy take up of the voluntary registration of septic tanks.

Septic tank Registration will begin in April 2012 -  and all tanks and waste treatment plants registered before June 30th 2012 will be charged a reduced fee of €5.

More details of Septic Tank Registration and Charges Here

Details of possible Fines for Non Registration here

Full details of how and where to register will be given here as soon as it is announced.

The start of a new year is always a good time to make changes  – and with cuts in child benefits and the new household charge – many people will have less to spend in 2012.
Below   we have highlighted a few suggestions  to help you save money and cut bills and spending  in 2012.

Switch Electricity Supplier
If you are still on the old ESB rates you could easily save around €100 a year by switching to Airtricity or Bord Gais for Electricity. You could save money by just paying by Direct Debit and opting for electronic billing.
See our  Electricity Price Comparison

Switch Gas Supplier
If you are still with Bord Gais for gas – you could save  as much as €150 a year if  you switch to Flogas for your natural mains gas supply. See Gas Prices Compared

Switch Your Current Account :
Many people in Ireland are still paying  fees to their banks for operating a current account.
Bank fees are easily avoidable – just switch your account to a bank that doesn’t charge transaction fees or doesn’t make you jump through hoops to avoid them.   Some BOI customers could save around €200 euros a year in bank charges by switching to a fee free bank   See more here about Current Account Fees

Get Grants towards Insulation or new Boiler.
Grants of upto €4000 are available for insulation of your property.
Grants of €560 are also available to replace a central heating boiler with a more efficient one and upgrade the heating controls at the same time.  Most old boilers could be costing you hundreds of euros a year in higher fuel bills – so replacing it will save you money in the long run too. (Condensing  boilers could save as much as 18% in oil costs for heating and hot water)  See more here about Grants for New Boilers and Insulation

Shop Online to get lower prices. Use discount codes and vouchers for online shopping – See some Discount Codes here

Switch Your Savings Account.
Ifyou have savings you should check if you are getting the best interest rate.
See our regularly updated list of the Best Interest Rates Here.   Some deposit accounts are paying rates as low as  0.01%  – but you could get a rate as high as 4.1% . On a balance of €20,000 – that would be an increase in interest of   €818  a year (before DIRT )

Switch Phone and Broadband
You could save about €70 a year by switching your landline and broadband provider  – see more here about the cheapest broadband providers.    (This is for anytime calls and 8Mb broadband)

0%  Interest  Credit Cards

If you have a credit card balance that you are finding hard to pay off -  you could try and transfer the balance to a credit card  with 0% Interest introductory offer. On a balance of €1000 -  going interest free for 10 months could save you as much as €80 in interest charges.  See our list of 0%  Interest Credit Card Offers

Prepaid Mastercard -  If you fly on Ryanair more than twice a year – you should get a Prepaid Mastercard.  If you are booking flights from Ireland – paying with a prepaid mastercard will save you €12 per return flight in admin fees.  Find out more here about How to Get a Prepaid Mastercard..    (This will not be charge- free after February)

Get cash for your old Mobile Phones.
You might be pleasantly surprised at the amount your old phone is worth.
See our page about cash for old phones here.  It might not be a lot – but every little helps !

Online Surveys
Don’t waste all your time on Facebook – you could try and make a few Euros doing online  market research surveys . You won’t make loads  -  but it’s fun . Register here for  Online Surveys

Happy New Year to all our visitors – and don’t forget to keep coming back for more financial tips in 2012. You can keep up to date with Moneyguide Ireland on Facebook too .

Prepay Mobile phone  charges in Ireland  – which  network is the cheapest ?

Everyone reading this probably has a mobile phone  -  we are in constant touch with friends and family – but this convenience has  a price.
A sizeable portion of the Irish population use pre-Pay or Pay as You Go phones – but  it is very easy to keep getting those €10 Euro top ups at the supermarket and lose track of exactly how much the phone usage is costing you.

The cheapest  pre-pay deal at the moment for people who like to use their mobile to make lots of calls  – is from Meteor.  They have a PAYG deal – where if you top up by €30 in one go – you get FREE calls to any network all month.
This “Meteor Anytime Choice Free Any Network Talk “  is “for life” – but you need to sign up by  January 31st 2012.   You can join Meteor Online Here
( There is a cap of 5,000 minutes of calls per month – - but that is 166 mins a day – so it would be hard to reach that limit).
The €30 credit can then be used for texts and internet. You would get 300 texts for that or you could use  50Mb of data every day for 30 days. (i.e 1.5Gb)
Someone making 30 minutes of calls a day and sending 10 text messages a day would just need to top up by €30 a month on this Meteor plan.

The same  usage on some other prepay networks would cost anything from €200 a month to €470.
The cheapest bill pay deal that would give you 30 mins talk time a day  on any network and 300 texts a month would be from Tesco at €50 a month.

See our article about  Lowest Prepay Data Charges on Mobiles in Ireland

Saorview ( Saor meaning Free in Irish) – is the name of the digital TV service provided by RTE. The changeover to digital television in Ireland began a few months ago – and by October  2012 all the Irish channels (RtE , TG4 and TV3) are expected to be  transmitted in digital format and the current  analogue transmissions will be switched off.

If you currently subscribe to a digital TV service such as Sky Ireland or UPC and you use them to watch RTE , TG4 and TV3 – then you can continue to do this after the changeover to Saorview.

BUT – If you are one of the  340,000 households that currently just view TV via an aerial –  then you will probably have to buy some new equipment to carry on watching these channels after the changeover to Saorview.

Beware of door to door sales people who are trying to persuade people to buy new aerials and receivers. Some of these people are even claiming to be from RTE or Saorview – and could be getting you to pay for something you don’t need.

Will I need a New Aerial ? ……Probably Not.

Don’t be conned into paying for a new TV aerial if you don’t need one. If you currently can receive TV3 through your aerial then your aerial is most likely fine for Saorview – and is pointing in the right direction. You should not need to do anything with your aerial.

If you currently receive RTÉ One, RTÉ Two and TG4 through your aerial but do not receive TV3 then your aerial is most likely fine but it may just be pointing in the wrong direction.

If you receive only RTÉ One and RTÉ Two through your aerial and do not receive TV3 and TG4 then you will probably need a new UHF aerial for Saorview.  Get quotes from 3 suppliers before you go ahead with any work.

What other Equipment will I need to get Saorview.

You will need a digital decoder (set top box)  which can recieve the Saorview signal OR a television with a Saorview compatible digital reciever built in.

Set Top Boxes :  There are some Saorview approved boxes – but any Freeview HD reciever should work too. As long as the receiver has MPEG4 it should be fine. (UK Freeview boxes won’t work – just Freeview HD)  . The price of these  set top boxes start at about €80

Televisions
You don’t have to buy a new TV to get Saorview – your existing TV will work with a set top box as mentioned above. But -  if you are thinking of upgrading your television soon — you should get one with a Saorview compatible digital receiver built in. (Then you won’t need a separate set top box)

Freeview televisions from the UK will not work with Saorview. But Freeview HD televisions should be able to pick up the Saorview signal.

These televisions listed below are all Saorview approved  and you can buy them online with delivery to Ireland.

Sony KDL-40CX520 40 Inch LCD Television

Samsung LE46D550ZF  46 Inch LCD Television

Philips 32PFL5606H/12   32 Inch LED Television

Another option is to Join Sky and get TV via a satellite. The monthly charges start at €25 and  installation and equipment are FREE when you sign up online. Visit Sky Ireland here

SKY will work with your existing TV – you won’t need to buy a new aeriel or a set top box. You will need to pay a monthly subscription ( min €25) – but for that you will also get access to Sky1 , BBC digital channels (BBC 1 BBc 2 BBc3 BBc4) as well at ITV channels  (1,2,3,4)  Cbeebies, CBBC along with Sky 1 , Sky Atlantic, Gold Dave and several others.

The tax on Non Principal Private Residences ( NPPR ) in Ireland  came into effect in Ireland on 31st July 2009.
The 2012 NPPR charge is €200 – it has been the the same amount since 2009

The 2012 NPPR charge is based upon the ownership and status of the property on the 31st March 2012.  So -  if you own a property in Ireland on 31st March 2012 and it is not your main residence you will be liable for the NPPR charge.( Non principal private residences).
You will also be liable for the new Household Charge from January 1st 2012.
Property owners need to pay the NPPR charge for 2012 on or before the 30th June 2012  to avoid late payment fees.

Although it is sometimes  referred to as a “second home ” tax – it does not matter if you only own the one property . If  you are not  using the property  it as your main residence – then you are liable for the NPPR .

The charge must be paid within two months of the liability date- i.e before 31st May 2012.
A late payment fee of €20 a month is payable after a further month has expired i.e three months after the liability date and one month after the last date for payment. There is a one month grace period – so all charges paid after 30th June 2012 will attract a late payment fee of €20 a month.

The  “NPPR” charge is aimed at  property that anyone owns in Ireland that is not used by them as their principal residence. You do not have to own two homes to be liable for this charge. You could be living in a rented house or living abroad while the home you own is empty or you have tenants in it.
The  NPPR charge is the same for all properties – regardless of size, location or value.

The legislation for NPPR  (Local Government (Charges) Act 2009 ) is structured with a starting position of a universal liability for all residential dwellings in respect of the charge. It then goes on to exempt certain buildings and owners from this liability.

The main exemption is for principal private residences. No person can have more than one sole or main residence. If you are renting a home and own another property – you are still liable for the NPPR. You don’t have to own more than one house to be liable.

Note : A property that is not suitable for use as a dwelling should not be regarded as dwelling within the meaning of the act . ( A temporary cutting off of the electricity or water supply does not make a property unsuitable)

Other Exemptions: according to nppr.ie

a) Where a person partly occupies a dwelling as his or her sole or main residence, and avails of and is entitled to the Revenue Commissioner’s Rent-a- Room Scheme, no liability for the NPPR charge will apply.

b) Charities are exempt
c)Properies that are liable for commercial rates will not be laible for the NPPR.
d)There is also an exemption for Newly Constructed but Unsold Buildings – that are vacant and  have never been occupied.

Property Owners can register your properties and pay the charges online at the nppr.ie  website by credit or debit card.
Property owners  will also be able to register and pay at your local council offices using an  NPPR registration form. The payment types accepted wil be credit card, debit card, bank draft, postal order and cheque. Over the counter payments will incur a €10 fee from Jan 2012

Late Payment Fees : if the NPPR  charge is not paid within a month after the last date for payment, a late payment fee of €20 will apply for every month or part of month that the €200 Euro charge remains unpaid.

Landlords Note: Information from Revenue Dept  is that the €200 charge is not an allowable expense for calculating rental income.

Property Registration:
It seems that the onus is on property owners to register any properties that are not their principal residence.  There is no national housing / address database in Ireland – so it is probably going to be difficult for the local authorities to determine which properties are actually non principal private residences.
The Local Government Charges Bill 2009 allows for the use of information from the Private Residential Tenancies Board , the Revenue department  and ESB to assist in the identification of non principal residences. There are probably many landlords who are not even registered with the PRTB – so there may be many rented properties that will be missed unless the owner voluntarily registers them.

Properties in the Rental Accommodation Scheme were  exempt – but that exemption has been withdrawn from Jan 2012

There are also limited exemptions where a person is moving house and, in temporarily  owns two houses for a  short period.

Full details on www.NPPR.ie where you can register and make payments.

(Update -  A  Household Charge – a new property tax was introduced in January 2012   All owners of residential property are liable fo this  -  even those who already pay NPPR )