Irish Water aim to install more than 900 meters a week

Nearly a thousand water meters will be installed at homes every day from next week as plans to impose charges get under way.

Irish Water confirmed more than one million meters will be put in place outside properties before the end of 2016, with an average 27,000 installed each month.

As the utility company revealed the process would create 1,600 jobs, managing director John Tierney said it was “one of the most ambitious metering programmes ever undertaken”.

He said he understands householders may not be happy about the water charges when they come into force next year, but he warned there would be no escape from paying their bills.

“We want to work with people to help them to pay this and we will be looking at every level possible in this regard,” Mr Tierney said.

“But the actual mechanism for if somebody simply refuses to engage with us will be contained in the legislation which we will have before the end of the year, and there may well be measures in there that will assist us in that regard. We expect that there will be.”

The first wave of quarterly water bills will be issued in January 2015 – based on usage during the final three months of 2014.

All households, except those availing of a private water supply, will be charged for their usage – even those whose homes have not yet been fitted with a meter.

The meter rollout will run until the end of 2016, meaning those without one will have their bills based on an estimate, which could take into account the number of people living in a property and the number of bedrooms.

Mr Tierney said he understands that no-one likes having to pay charges.

But he said the high compliance rates of other charges rolled out recently - including the non-principal private residence charge, the household charge and the property tax – suggest the majority of Irish people pay their way.

“I’m not saying they are happy to have to pay charges but what that majority hate to see is other people who can pay freeloading on the system,” he said.

“We have taken the affordability mechanism into account, that’s dealt with. I think people would be very anxious.”

Precise tariffs have not yet been set so there is no way for Irish Water to reveal what the average family is likely to be charged each quarter.

Mr Tierney said it would be left for the regulation process to determine “in the not too distant future”.

The water meter installation programme will begin next week in Co Kildare, before expanding into Kerry, Meath, Wexford, Dublin City, Limerick, Mayo and then Fingal.

Irish Water expects an average 27,000 meters to be installed each month.

The installation process will see 1,600 jobs created – recruitment for which will begin immediately.

Mr Tierney confirmed not all of those positions will be permanent ones – most of them will last around three-and-a-half years.

Around a quarter of the 1,600 positions are to be retained for people currently on the Live Register, graduates, school leavers and small businesses.

Three regional contractors have been appointed to manage the meter installations across six regions, including GMC/Sierra Ltd, J Murphy and Sons Ltd and Coffey Northumbrian Ltd.

Mr Tierney added that legislation has now been passed to incorporate Irish Water as an official subsidiary of Bord Gais Eireann.