Irish Water have responded to criticism from local representatives in relation to the new tariff framework for non-domestic tariffs coming into force.
The utility company issued the following statement to put across their view in relation to complaints that have been made by councillors in terms of engagement on the issue.
"Irish Water’s councillor clinics ensure we keep Mayo’s elected representatives briefed on key events within their area and allow us to support and respond to any queries they may have on behalf of their constituents.
"In the latter half of 2021, Mayo Councillor Clinics were held on July 12, October 11 and November 8. Following a request from councillors in Mayo for an update on the non-domestic tariffs, Irish Water organised a bespoke presentation on the new tariff framework at the clinic on October 11. However, no councillors attended the update.
"A further presentation has been organised for the next Mayo Councillor Clinic on Monday, March 21 and an invite to that presentation has been sent to councillors.
"A new non-domestic tariff framework for Irish Water’s business customers went live on Friday 1 October 2021. The decision to confirm October 1 for implementation was taken by our economic regulator, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU ) in March with the support of Irish Water and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The changes were originally due to go live on May 1, 2020 but were deferred to May 1, 2021 and again to October 1, 2021 due to the uncertainty for businesses under the essential Government public health guidelines due to COVID-19.
"Irish Water’s aim is to ensure that every business across the country is provided with a clear, transparent, equitable charging regime regardless of location. Previously there were over 500 different tariffs, with customers in different local authority areas paying different charges. There has been no change to charges since 2014 and in many cases much longer. The new framework will now standardise charges across the country while recovering the cost of providing water and wastewater services to non-domestic customers.
"We wrote to all business customers to outline what the changes meant 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. In Mayo, there are approximately 10,000 non-domestic users / connections and the new framework provides certainty for those users. As part of the new structure, almost half of the connections in County Mayo will see a decrease in their annual bill.
"For customers who will face larger increases in their annual bill, Irish Water has put in place a number of important support measures. Connections that see an increase of €250 or more will be 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 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 (0818 ) 778 778 / International +353 1 707 2827. Lines open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm."
"Irish Water continues to share information on all changes with councillors on request and remain committed to updating all elected representatives on Irish Water projects including tariffs.
"Councillors can also get in touch with us through the following channels: The dedicated support service to Local Representative Support Desk can be contacted at [email protected] or by phone at (0818 ) 178 178. Staff are available Monday to Friday from 9am to 5.30pm to deal with queries from elected representatives about any topic related to Irish Water. Outside these hours, the 24/7 customer care line is available for urgent queries at (1800 ) 278278."
