The details of the calculation of the new Water Charges have still to be decided by the CER – but there was a bit of a fuss this week when it was “revealed” that Irish Water expect to bill a “standing charge” of about €100 a year to every home. It was reported by some in the media as if it was a terrible thing to do.
All the utility companies charge a fixed fee or a standing charge to cover the work they do to run and maintain a supply to each house. They couldn’t run a business if they only charged for what people used.
Standing charges for gas currently range from 89 to €105 a year and Electicity standing charges are between €140 and €166 a year.
So it should come as no surprise if the Water Charge is made up of a fixed component too. (It might not be called a standing charge).
The water charges begin inOctober 2014 with the first bill due in January 2015
More details here of how much the Water Charges might be. We should know more in August hopefully.