Category 1 customers
The new trade effluent charges will only apply to connections licensed to discharge trade effluent into Uisce Éireann’s wastewater network. The new trade effluent charges will come into effect from October 2026.
The CRU decision means trade effluent customers will be classified into three Categories for charging purposes based upon their primary business activity and their annual water consumption. A customer’s categorisation will be reviewed annually based on the most recent, if any, changes to the business activity and the most recent water consumption data. Below are the trade effluent metered & unmetered category 1 rates.
FOG stands for fats, oils and grease and originate from food products such as butter, lard, vegetable oils, animal fats, meats, sauces and dairy products. They are generated during the preparation of food and from any cleaning/washing up processes.
FOG usually comes from kitchens of Food Service Establishments (FSEs) where food is prepared, cooked or served. These include restaurants, takeaways, pubs which serve cooked food, cafés, coffee shops, hotels, B&Bs, convenience stores and supermarkets, garage forecourt shops with delicatessen counters, food production kitchens etc.
Blockages from FOG can result in raw sewage overflowing from sewers into business premises, public areas, streams or rivers causing an environmental and public health hazard.
If your business discharges fats, oils or greases (FOG) to a public sewer, you are required to apply for a FOG licence.
There is a once off licence application fee of €380, payment can be made by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), cheque or bank draft.
To read more about applying for a FOG licence see here.
Under the new trade effluent tariff framework, all trade effluent customers will move to a consistent national charging structure from October 2026. Each trade effluent (TE) customer will now pay three tariff components: a Compliance & Licensing Charge, a standing charge, and a volumetric charge based on the tariff band that corresponds to their annual effluent volume.
For most customers with a FOG licence, the impact will be minimal. Customers are already paying the non-domestic wastewater standing and volumetric charges. The only new charge is the compliance & licensing charge, which effectively replaces the current and the trade effluent licence monitoring fee. The compliance and licensing charge covers the sampling licensing and monitoring the costs, it’s applied on a licence basis. You can read more here.
The trade effluent Tariff structure for Category 1 customers is as follows:
Trade Effluent Category | Wastewater Customer Class | Standing charge (p.a.) | Volumetric charge (€/m3) | Compliance & Licensing charge (p.a.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Trade Effluent Category 1 | Band 1 (<1,000m3) | €102.96 | €2.43 | €386.51 |
Trade Effluent Category 1 | Band 2 (1,000 – 19,999m3) | €346.04 | €2.41 | €386.51 |
Trade Effluent Category 1 | Band 3 (20,000 – 249,999m3) | €4,268.88 | €2.38 | €386.51 |
Trade Effluent Category 1 | Band 4 (>/=250,000m3) | €100,520.15 | €2.37 | €386.51 |
Also, there are two unmetered classes for Category 1 trade effluent services – please see the table below:
Trade Effluent Category | Wastewater Customer Class | Flat charge (p.a.) | Compliance & Licensing charge (p.a) |
|---|---|---|---|
Trade Effluent Category 1 | Unmetered Band 1 | €417.16 | €386.51 |
Trade Effluent Category 1 | Unmetered Band 2 | €2,635.23 | €386.51 |
You can also read more on the CRU TE tariff framework final decision paper here. The tariffs that will apply will be determined by the previous year’s annual water consumption. If you are unsure of what broad business activity (“Industrial” or “Commercial”) is most applicable to your trade effluent connection, please contact us at dischargetosewer@water.ie.
Yes, as all FSEs are commercial activities. Please see the TE charging categorisation process below:
