Some couples in apartments can’t save cash by saving water

Some people living in apartments will not save any money by conserving water as Irish Water will not meter their residences, the utility has confirmed.

The anomaly means that in theory, a childless couple in an apartment could face higher water bills than a family-of-five in a metered home, regardless of usage.

Charges for properties with two or more adults are capped at €260 a year — the standard flat charge for an un-metered property.

Metered households are charged on the amount of water used, and allowances are provided for children.

However, during a tour of its services centre yesterday in Curraheen, Cork, head of communications with Irish Water, Elizabeth Arnett, conceded not all properties will be metered and those that are not will pay the flat rate.

She said 40% of metered customers are paying below the capped rate, due to allowances and conservation.

She revealed the plumbing in older buildings means the utility will not be able to meter every apartment in the country, and that the occupants of such units will be charged the flat rate regardless of their usage.

The utility has also said readings of some 710,000 meters have so far identified leaks in 51,000 homes.

Billing services manager Yvonne Harris said Irish Water was aware of one case where a house has used €20,000 worth of water in its billing cycle due to a leak.

Meanwhile, Tánaiste Joan Burton has said she believes the “innate honesty and integrity of most people in Ireland” means only those who are complying with the law will seek out the water conservation grant.

The Labour leader and Social Protection Minister said there will be no change to the grant system as this has been “a process established and happening over a period of time”.

However, she stressed that “anyone applying for the grant” should also pay their charges, again opening up the Coalition to last week’s claims that it is considering limiting access to the €100 fund to only people who pay their bills.

In a later interview with RTÉ radio, Ms Burton said once the water conservation grant database is fully established, the fund could be paid out earlier in future years in order to help struggling families to pay their bills.

Questioned over whether Irish Water will still be in existence when this possibility emerges, Ms Burton said regardless of “what government is in the offing”, the reality is a utility like Irish Water is needed as Ireland must pay for vital water service reforms.

A two-adult household with a meter will pay a maximum annual charge of €260.

However, this capped amount is the standard charge issued to a two-adult household with no meter.

A metered home can benefit from a lower charge based on a conservative use of water, and allowances are afforded based on the number of children in a house. This means families in metered homes can significantly reduce their annual charges below the cap.