Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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302. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will respond to queries raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding water metering. [20220/14]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Governmentsets out a commitment to the introduction of water charges based on usage above a free allowance. The Government considers that charging based on usage is the fairest way to charge for water and it has, therefore, decided that water meters should be installed in households connected to public water supplies. The Water Services Act 2013 provided for the establishment of Irish Water as an independent subsidiary within the Bord Gáis Éireann Group and assigned the company the necessary powers to allow it to undertake the metering programme.

Most meters for public utilities are located at the point where the connection enters the household. In the case of water services, under the provisions of the Water Services Act 2007, household pipes internal to the boundary of a property are considered the responsibility of the householder, and thus water meters are being fitted at the stopcock at the boundary of the property. As this is located on publicly accessible land, it minimises disruption during the installation programme and in terms of meter reading in due course, as access is not required to people’s homes. The meter boxes are not sealed and can be opened to allow the householder to read their meter, if necessary. Meters will be read automatically and the information will be provided directly to customers in their bills. Irish Water has confirmed to my Department that all of the water metering contracts are fully compliant with the Disability Act 2005 and that the water meters in use by Irish Water comply with the Measuring Instruments Directive. In all customer communications, Irish Water asks any householders with any disability, mobility or medical concerns to contact its call centre (1890 278 278) in advance of the meter installation so any additional support or advice can be arranged. 

Irish Water will not need to reset water meters to zero for October 1st 2014. The meters used in the domestic water metering programme maintain a record of the reading at midnight on the last day of each month. This provides Irish Water with an accurate month end/month start cumulative consumption on an ongoing basis. These month end records will be collected each time the meters are read.

To assist the homeowner in the identification of any leaks Irish Water has confirmed to my Department that water meters being installed as part of the metering programme have a “constant flow” alarm which alerts Irish Water who will in turn alert the affected homeowner. Householders with a meter installed will be provided with a reading of their meter as part of their bill and any unusual usage patterns can be discussed with Irish Water if the householder is concerned. As part of the metering programme, my Department, in conjunction with Irish Water, is currently working on a proposal regarding customer-side leakage.

In common with meters for other utility services, the meters will be the property of Irish Water which will also be responsible the repair and maintenance of the meter. Section 74 of the Water Services Act 2007 provides that it is an offence to damage or otherwise impair a water meter. I would also like to inform the Deputy that Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. They may be contacted via email to or by telephone on 1890 278 278.