Non-Domestic Tariff Framework for Irish Water Deferred to October 1st 2021

The new non-domestic tariff framework for Irish Water’s business customers is now deferred to go live on October 1st 2021. The decision to confirm the new date for implementation has been taken by our economic regulator, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), with the support of Irish Water and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

The changes were due to go live on 1 May 2020 originally but were deferred to 1 May 2021 and again today to 1 October 2021 due to the considerable uncertainty for businesses under the essential Government public health guidelines due to COVID-19.

Irish Water’s Yvonne Harris (Head of Customer Operations) said, “We welcome the CRU’s decision in setting a new implementation date of October 1st 2021, which will provide certainty for businesses and their representative groups.

“Irish Water understands the continued challenges faced by businesses; our aim is to ensure that every business across the country is provided with a clear, transparent, equitable charging regime regardless of location. Currently there are over 500 different tariffs, with customers in different local authority areas paying different charges. The new framework will standardise charges across the country while recovering the cost of providing water and wastewater services to non-domestic customers “To ensure the changes are clearly communicated we will be writing to all customers in mid-2021 outlining what the changes mean for them. The vast majority of customers will see either a decrease or an increase of less than €250 per annum, in their annual bills.

“For the minority of customers who will face larger increases in their annual bill, Irish Water will put in place a number of important support measures. Connections that see an increase of €250 or more will be gradually transitioned to the new tariffs over three years. For connections that will face an increase of €750 or more, we will automatically apply a 10% cap to their annual bill increase in any one year. Throughout this process, both Irish Water and the CRU have examined international best practice and consulted with representative groups and individual businesses across the country. This approach has greatly helped in developing charges that are clear, simple, and fair to all.”

Irish Water is encouraging businesses to visit www.water.ie where they can assess the impact of the new charges on their future bills using our online calculator tool available on water.ie.

Further information is also available online including a detailed Q&A and case studies. Customers who may be experiencing billing or payment difficulties can contact our dedicated business team on 1850 778 778.