Water Allowances

[hollyisalovelyname]

There is a huge furore in Ireland at the moment over the introduction of water charges. Quite a lot of civic unrest. 50 million was spent on consultants, bonus payments will be the norm ( even for under performing staff !!!!!)
We were told that we would have alllowances similar to those in U. K.
I have read subsequently that these allowances have been scaled back quite a lot by Irish Water ( as they were too generous ).
Please can you tell me what the allowances are in U. K.
Many thanks.

Live in UK. Never heard of a water allowance.

Where I live, we get water bills from two different companies: one for water in, one for waste water taken away.

I'm in ni holly. We pay for our water on a farm but get a domestic allowance for our home off our bill.

I don't know what you mean by water allowances. All modern houses have water meters and anyone with a meter pays for what they use. Most older houses don't have meters so they pay water rates based on the the value of the property (I think).

What do you mean by allowances ? In UK there is a gradual transfer to water meters rather than a fixed amount per property based on size (water rates)

In Scotland, we don't have meters. We just pay for water as part of our council tax

Are you sure it's not metering they are talking about and not rationing?

The UK doesn't have allowances in the form that the Irish system will now have. So there is nothing to compare I'm afraid! We get charged a fixed charge plus a variable charge, which for those with a meter is based on consumption and for others based on rateable value of the home. There are no free allowances.

It would be a bit odd to ration water in Ireland.

I am currently in England. I have never heard of an allowance*

You can either have a meter, or pay a figure which is calculated vaguely in a way something to do with what your home used to be worth, twenty years ago or so. This rate is calculated so that it will probably be more than you would pay if you had a meter, as a ploy to make people get meters. If you have a small home crammed with numerous people who like lots of baths, the rate is better value.

If you have a swimming pool you are obliged to have a meter.

*very occasionally, an idea surfaces (it has never been taken up) that each person should be entitled to "x" amount of water (enough to drink each day, perhaps) and then pay a possibly increasing amount for all water used above that amount. Sometimes you hear the same proposal about fuel. It is not an idea that has made any significant progress.

I pay a water bill to my local water company. different companies cover different regions, so water charges can vary, I don't know of any water allowances - as mentioned above it is either measured via a metre system or estimated based on household size. It's about £200 for us, you can spread the cost over the year. My understanding is that Irish people don't pay for water and are mighty pissed that they have to now. Fair enough - they way the government have gone about setting up a national water company has been farcical.

I am curious though as to who Irish people expect to pay to fix their antiquated water infrastructure-where water boil notices are the norm and some towns still pump untreated raw sewage into sea?

Many thanks.
Roughly how much do you pay per year for water.

Between £400 - £500. Our water rates include dealing with sewage as well.

We're on rates rather than a meter, as that tends to be better if you have a lot of people in the household. It's about £500 a year I think. There's nothing I can do about it as you're not able to shop around for suppliers, so I just leave Thames Water to keep taking it by direct debit and try not to think about what a rip off it is. Especially considering I had to pay electric bills to pump perfectly good fresh groundwater out of my cellar for nearly four months earlier this year! Sadly the spring only really kicks off in really wet winters, otherwise I'd consider installing a bottling plant and flogging it at £3 a bottle like San Pellegrino or similar...

less than £25 per month on a meter, 2 adults, 2 children. It will varying across the country depending on supplier. We are in a relatively cheaper area.

£512 p.a. for waste water and sewerage (seems like a lot) and £138 for water. We have two different companies here. Some areas have one that does both. No meter.

The Irish have not paid directly for water before this - it was funded out of taxation.
The infrastructure is in a very poor state - water does not of course come out of the sky straight to the tap. Spending a fortune on consultants will not solve this.

the allowance seems to be cashback for those struggling with a new bill. We don't get that in the UK, although I believe that you cannot actually be cut off if you don't pay. You will of course end up with judgements, bailiffs etc.

I'm on a meter and pay £17.43 a month, which the local water company recently reduced from £27.53, without even being asked! There's only two in our household, however.

We pay about £39 a month since we were compulsorily metered last year, before that it was about £20 a month

Thank you.