Home owners to pay €500 water meter bill

The estimated €500 cost of installing a water meter in each household is expected to be passed on to consumers in the form of a standing charge on their water bills.

Irish Water revealed yesterday that homeowners and tenants will face no up-front charge for water meters but are likely to pay for the €539m nationwide project through a charge on their regular bills.

However, Irish Water chief executive John Tierney said it was likely that the cost of paying for the meter would be spread over a period of up to 20 years.