Business charges
Uisce Éireann manages all aspects of business water accounts including billing for water services.
Important note on new charges
Following a public consultation the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) has published a decision on updated non-domestic tariffs. A new set of national water and wastewater business charges will come into effect on 1st October 2024.
Why are charges being updated?
Charges are being updated because the tariffs approved under the CRU’s 2019 decision on the Non-Domestic Tariff Framework (the Framework) expire on 30th September 2024.
The Framework was established in 2019 and created a national set of harmonised charging arrangements for the supply of water to a non-domestic premises and for removing wastewater from their premises. The new harmonised non-domestic water and wastewater tariffs were introduced and applied to customers’ bills on 1st October 2021. The new tariffs were fixed for 3 years to provide price certainty and stability to customers and allowed customers to gradually transition from their old tariff rates to the new enduring tariff rates. The 3-year transition period expires on 30th September 2024.
Following public consultation, the CRU has decided on new water and wastewater tariffs to apply from 1st October 2024 until 30th September 2025.
What are the key changes?
For clarity, the CRU’s decision provides for the following changes:
- new non-domestic water and wastewater tariffs to apply to Uisce Éireann’s non- domestic customers on 1st October 2024; and
- new national harmonised trade effluent charging arrangements to apply to Uisce Éireann’s trade effluent customers on 1st October 2026.
The following CRU decisions on updates to the Framework have allowed Uisce Éireann to generate new water and wastewater tariff rates and also new trade effluent charging arrangements.
- Updated revenue and customer data: Uisce Éireann has updated tariff rates to reflect 2024 allowable revenue, as determined by Revenue Control 3; existing tariffs reflect Uisce Éireann’s allowed revenue amount for 2019. Uisce Éireann has also updated the tariff rates to reflect 2021 customer data. The existing tariffs were generated using 2017 data.
- Introduce a 5th water customer class: The CRU’s decision introduces a fifth water customer class 'Tariff Band’ for water users that consume a volume of water equal to or greater than 2,300,000m3 per annum.
- Bill capping arrangements for 1st October 2024: The CRU’s decision provides for a new bill capping arrangement applicable from 1st October 2024 replacing the three year transition which expires on 30th September 2024. From 1st October 2024 if a customer is facing an annual bill increase of €750 or more, a 75% cap (if required) will automatically apply to the increase in the annual bill.
- Introduce new national harmonised charging arrangements for trade effluent customers: The CRU’s decision provides for the integration of harmonised national trade effluent charging arrangements into the Framework. Trade effluent tariffs will not come into effect until 1st October 2026. This is to provide customers with sufficient time to plan for the change and to enable Uisce Éireann make the necessary system and operational change to implement national trade effluent charging arrangements. As part of a future consultation, new trade effluent tariffs will be set and will apply from 1st October 2026. Uisce Éireann will maintain the existing Local Authority (LA) trade effluent charging arrangements until this date.
For further information visit the CRU's website:
Who will be affected by the new charges?
The new water and wastewater tariffs effective from 1st October 2024 will apply to both business customers and mixed-use customers who use water services for both business and domestic purposes including public Group Water Schemes. Please visit for more information on group water schemes.
New trade effluent charges will not come into effect until 1st October 2026 and a further consultation will be required in advance of this date to set trade effluent tariff levels.
A fair charging Framework
Uisce Éireann welcomes the CRU’s 2024 decision which continues to set out a national set of water and wastewater charges that will be transparent, cost reflective, and equitable for all businesses countrywide. The Framework delivers:
- An equitable set of charges which ensures that customers using the same volume of water are charged the same;
- Charges which reflect the actual costs of providing water services to the business sector; and
- Charges that promote conservation by maintaining a relatively low fixed standing charges. This also provides more scope for customers to reduce their water and wastewater bills.
For further information on the new water and wastewater charges please see links and table below
- Download our Customer Information Paper which summarises the CRU’s decision, considers overall customer impact and includes case study examples of the new charges (see section 5).
Water and wastewater tariff classes and rates effective 1/10/2021 – 30/09/2024
| Tariff Class | Annual Consumption (m³) |
|---|---|
| Band 1 | Less than 1,000m³ |
| Band 2 | Between 1,000m³ and 19,999m³ |
| Band 3 | Between 20,000³ and 249,999m³ |
| Band 4 | Equal to or greater than 250,000m³ |
Metered tariff rates
| Water Service Charges | Wastewater Service Charges | Combined Service Charges | ||||
| Metered Tariffs | Standing Charge (€/year) | Volumetric Charge (€/m³) | Standing Charge (€/year) | Volumetric Charge (€/m³) | Standing Charge (€/year) | Volumetric Charge (€/m³) |
| Band 1 Class (<1,000m³) | 43.76 | 1.87 | 44.81 | 1.92 | 88.57 | 3.79 |
| Band 2 Class (1,000m³ - 19,999m³) | 113.31 | 1.30 | 135.79 | 1.82 | 249.10 | 3.12 |
| Band 3 Class (20,000m³ - 249,999m³ ) | 1,872.98 | 1.21 | 1,969.50 | 1.81 | 3,842.48 | 3.02 |
| Band 4 Class (>250,000m³) | 21,771.46 | 1.05 | 25,266.78 | 1.75 | 47,038.24 | 2.80 |
Unmetered Tariffs
| Water Service Charges | Wastewater Service Charges | Combined Service Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unmetered Tariffs | (€/year) | (€/year) | (€/year) |
| Band 1* | 260.35 | 243.14 | 503.49 |
| Band 2 | 1,413.31 | 1955.79 | 3,369.10 |
| * 99% of unmetered customers fall into Band 1 | |||
Water and wastewater tariff classes and rates effective 1/10/2024 – 30/09/2025
| Tariff Class | Annual Consumption (m³) |
|---|---|
| Band 1 | Less than 1,000m³ |
| Band 2 | Between 1,000m³ and 19,999m³ |
| Band 3 | Between 20,000³ and 249,999m³ |
| Band 4 | Between 250,000m³ and 2,299,999m³ |
| Band 5 (water only) | Greater than or equal to 2,300,000m³ |
Metered tariff rates
| Water Service Charges | Wastewater Service Charges | Combined Service Charges | ||||
| Metered Tariffs | Standing Charge (€/year) | Volumetric Charge (€/m³) | Standing Charge (€/year) | Volumetric Charge (€/m³) | Standing Charge (€/year) | Volumetric Charge (€/m³) |
| Band 1 Class (<1,000m³) | 83.02 | 2.19 | 75.43 | 2.34 | 158.45 | 4.53 |
| Band 2 Class (1,000m³ - 19,999m³) | 218.11 | 1.68 | 238.34 | 2.28 | 456.45 | 3.96 |
| Band 3 Class (20,000m³ - 249,999m³ ) | 3,708.61 | 1.56 | 3,849.75 | 2.23 | 7,558.36 | 3.79 |
| Band 4 Class (250,000m³-2,299,999m3) | 41,332.17 | 1.38 | 38,652.54 | 2.19 | 79,984.71 | 3.57 |
| Band 5 Class (>2,300,000m³) | 295,967.72 | 1.27 |
Unmetered Tariffs
| Water Service Charges | Wastewater Service Charges | Combined Service Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unmetered Tariffs | (€/year) | (€/year) | (€/year) |
| Band 1* | 285.42 | 307.61 | 593.03 |
| Band 2 | 1,805.85 | 2,347.47 | 4,153.32 |
| * 99% of unmetered customers fall into Band 1 | |||
VAT
The application of VAT and the timing of its introduction is a matter for the Government. Water supply and wastewater collection services are currently exempt from VAT with the exception of Tankered Waste, Sludge, and Leachate.
Annual Annual Quantity for Non-Domestic Customers
An Annual Quantity (AQ) will be calculated once a year for every non-domestic metered connection
Business Charges
The new tariffs apply from 1st October 2024
All non-domestic water and wastewater customers will receive a letter advising of their annual usage and the corresponding Tariff Band and rates that will apply on 1/10/2024.
No, bills that issue covering usage pre and post the price change will prorate the usage and charges. Bills will clearly display the breakdown of usage and charges for each period (i.e. pre and post 1/10/2024).
Your annual usage determines your Tariff Band and each Band has different Volumetric rates and Standing charges. The best Band for you is the one that corresponds to your annual usage.
If your annual usage has increased and you’ve moved to Tariff Band 2, these are the best tariff rates for you. For example if your AQ is now 11,000 m³ and you have both water supply and wastewater services:
11,000 @ Band 2 = €44,016
11,000 @ Band 1 = €49,988
No, a 10% cap on the maximum annual bill increase applied for a 3 year period from 1/10/2021 to 30/09/2024. The CRU committed to consulting on the need for any further transitional arrangements for these connections after the 3-year transitional period was completed. The CRU has decided on new bill capping arrangements to apply from 1/10/2024 to 30/09/2025.
From 1st October 2024, a 75% cap (if required) will automatically apply to an annual bill increase of €750 or more. The monetary and capping percentage thresholds for the bill capping arrangements to apply on 1st October 2025 will be consulted on in a second phase of CRU consultation.
No, if your connection is eligible for the cap, it will be applied automatically. All non-domestic customers will receive a letter prior to 31st August advising of the AQ and the relevant Tariff Band and tariff rates that will apply from 1st October 2024. This letter will also advise whether or not a 75% cap on the maximum annual bill increase applies.