Water Charges Made Simple – How Much Will You Pay?
The Commission for Energy Regulation are expected to confirm the cost per litre of water in Ireland in the Autumn but a common figure people are mentioning at present is 0.0022 euro per litre which is 2.20 euro for every 1,000 litres we use.
Below I have broken down the main things we use water for in the home, estimated what each things costs and given a rough esimate on what water charges will cost a variety of different types of households based on the 2.20 euro per 1,000 litre figure and the allowances that Minister Hogan has announced for different types of households.
You can Listen here to Podcast of Water Charges Interview with Sean 
O’Rourke on RTE Radio about this on Wed May 14th.
So what are the main things we use water for and what does it cost?
Drinking Water – It is recommended that we drink about 2 litres of water per day. Cost per year would be €1.67 per annum per person
Baths – It is generally accepted that typically one uses about 80 litres every time they take a bath. This translates to 18 cent per bath
Showers – On average people shower for about 8 minutes per day based on a UK Report conducted by homecare products manufacturer Unilver.
Some showers particularly power showers have a water output about 17 litres per minute but let us be a bit more conservative and assume that your shower has an output of 12 litres per minute so you use 96 litres per day.
Based on this assumption it will cost you 21 cent per shower per person
Dishwasher – Uses about 25 litres per cycle – 5.5 cent per use
Washing Machine – Uses about 50 litres per cycle – 11 cent per use
Washing Car – It is estimated that you will use about 300 litres on average each time you wash your car – 66 cent per wash
Toilets – Modern cisterns installed in last 10 years use about 6 litres per flush. Older ones can use 9 to 12 litres. Cost 1.3 cent per flush (based on 6 litre flush)
Other Water Usage – Brushing teeth, washing hands, water for cooking, rinsing a cup etc Allow for about 30 litres per day – 6.6 cent per day per person
Gardening – A difficult one to estimate but lets assume that you would only use water outdoor about five months of the year (May to September) and only on days when it is not raining. Because it is seasonal and it does rain I came reasonably conservative figure of about 20 litres per day when spread over the whole year. – 4.4 cent per day
Water Usage Assumptions 
Further down I have estimated the costs per household per annum but it is important to point out first I am basing this on the following assumptions.
1: People drink two litres of tap water each per day in the home
2: Members of the household take 8 minute showers everyday and the showerhead releases 12 litres of water per minute.
3: All households use a dishwasher and washing machine and
– One person household uses dishwasher twice a week and washing machine twice a week
– Two adult household use dishwasher three times per week and washing machine three times per week.
– Five person household use dishwasher four times per week and washing machine five times per week.
4: Each household has one car that is washed at home once a month.
5: Toilets are six litre flush, each householder flush toilet 8 times per day but only 5 times a day in the home.
6: Each person in the household uses 30 litres of water per day through a combination of washing hands, brushing teeth, cooking, rinsing cups etc
7: Each household uses an average of 20 litres per day for garden and other outdoor use.
8: Figures are based on a 52 week year and does not account for holidays.
9: An allowance is also built in for visitors to your home and guests staying over.
What will Water Charges be per Household per Year? 
Based on figures of 2.20 Euro per thousand litres
Case A – One Person Living Alone
Drinking Water 730 litres = (€1.67)
Showers = 35,040 litres = (€77.09)
Dishwasher 2,600 litres = (€5.72)
Washing Machine 5,400 litres = (€11.44)
Car Washing 3,600 litres = €7.92)
Toilets 10,950 litres = (€24.09)
Gardening 7,300 litres = (€16.06)
Incidental (Teeth Brushing etc) 10,950 litres = (€24.09)
Guests / Visitors 10,000 litres = (€22)
Total 86,570 litres = (€190.08)
Allowance 30,000 litres = (€66)
Total Estimated Payment = (€124.08)
Case B – Two Adult Household 
Drinking Water 1,460 litres = (€3.21)
Showers = 70,080 litres = (€154.18)
Dishwasher 3,800 litres = (€8.58)
Washing Machine 5,400 litres = (€17.16)
Car Washing 3,600 litres = (€7.92)
Toilets 21,900 litres = (€48.18)
Gardening 7,300 litres = (€16.06)
Incidental (Teeth Brushing etc) 21,900 litres = (€48.18)
Guests / Visitors 15,000 litres = (€33)
Total 150,540 litres = (€336.47)
Allowance 30,000 litres = (€66)
Total Estimated Payment = (€270.47)
Case C – Two Adult Three Children (All Under 18)
Drinking Water 3,650 litres = (€8.03)
Showers = 175,200 litres = (€385.44)
Dishwasher 5,200 litres = (€11.44)
Washing Machine 13,000 litres = (€28.60)
Car Washing 3,600 litres = (€7.92)
Toilets 54,750 litres = (€120.45)
Gardening 7,300 litres = (€16.06)
Incidental (Teeth Brushing etc) 54,750 litres = (€120.45)
Guests / Visitors 30,000 litres = (€66)
Total 347,450 litres = (€764.39)
Allowance 144,000 litres = (€316.80) (38,000 litres per child plus 30,000 litre general allowance)
Total Estimated Payment 203,450 litres = (€447.59)
Case D – Five Adult Household
Drinking Water 3,650 litres = (€8.03)
Showers = 175,200 litres = (€385.44)
Dishwasher 5,200 litres = (€11.44)
Washing Machine 13,000 litres = (€28.60)
Car Washing 3,600 litres = (€7.92)
Toilets 54,750 litres = (€120.45)
Gardening 7,300 litres = (€16.06)
Incidental (Teeth Brushing etc) 54,750 litres = (€120.45)
Guests / Visitors 30,000 litres = (€66)
Total 347,450 litres = (€764.39)
Allowance 30,000 litres = (€66)
Total Estimated Payment 317,450 litres = (€698.39)
Every home is different and flow rates and individual behavioural habits vary greatly but hopefully some of you find this as a useful rough guide at the very least as that is all it is designed to be.
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