Overhaul of water charges for business to be deferred

Plans for a new system of water charges for businesses and other non-domestic users are being stalled because the existing system is irrational, according to the agency trying to make sense of it.

The Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) told Irish Water and the Government earlier this year it would have to defer giving advice on any new tariffs for business and institutional users because information about the sector’s water use and existing charges was piecemeal.

Cathy Mannion, a senior executive with the CER, said efforts to gather the information so far had revealed some 500-600 different charging plans, depending on the location, size and nature of user.

“We have two counties just outside Dublin where the cost of water is twice in one county and half in the other, so these things are not rational,” she said.

The CER has to come up with a timeline with target dates for introducing a new and more standardised national charging scheme, but it cannot say yet what those target dates will be.

The CER will, however, give its final decision on Irish Water’s proposed charges for household users at the end of this month, just in time for charging to begin on October 1.

Ms Mannion said this was not in line with the regulator’s own best practice, which was to give 30 days’ notice of all new or changing tariffs, but she said it had not been possible to complete the task earlier. In future, customers would get 30 days’ notice of any change in charges, she said.

She also said she hoped consumers would get representation in the future in discussions on Irish Water’s performance. Terms of reference were being drawn up by the CER in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Environment but she said that thought should be given to bringing consumers on board.

“It’s very important to Irish consumers, this whole area of water, and I think they should have a voice at the table.”

Ms Mannion pledged to publish regular updates on Irish Water’s performance in relation to customer service, covering complaint handling, boil water notices, handling of vulnerable customers and other issues affecting customers.

She reiterated the CER’s plan to impose financial penalties on Irish Water if it fails to meet customer care standards, with any customer let down by Irish Water entitled to a €10 credit for every infringement of the customer charter in addition to any discount a customer will be entitled to for interruptions in supply or loss of water quality.