Customer categorisation

Uisce Éireann has set out a clear difference between its Domestic, Non-Domestic and Mixed Use Customers.

The three customer types are defined as follows:

1. Domestic Customer means a Customer in respect of a Dwelling.
2. Mixed Use Customer means a Customer in respect of any part (or parts) or all of a Mixed Use Premises and where there are different Customers in respect of the different parts of a Mixed Use Premises nothing in Uisce Éireann's Water Charges Plan should be construed as meaning that the Mixed Used Customer in respect of the part of a Mixed Use Premises that is a Dwelling will have any liability for charges that are properly for the account of the Mixed Use Customer in respect of the part of the Mixed Use Premises that is a Non-Domestic Premises).
3. Non-Domestic Customer means a Customer in respect of a Non-Domestic Premises.

The following supplemental definitions give further context to the meaning of the 3 customer types as set out above:

• Dwelling means a Premises occupied by a person as his or her place of Private Residence (whether or not as his or her Principal Private Residence).
• Mixed Use Premises means a Premises encompassing a Dwelling and a Non-Domestic Premises which receives a Shared Supply of water and/or a Shared Collection of Wastewater (by way of example, and without limiting the scope of the foregoing, a supply serving a farmhouse occupied as a Dwelling and a farm; or, a Premises encompassing a shop and a flat occupied as a Dwelling).
• Non-Domestic Premises means any Premises that is not a Dwelling.
• Premises includes any building, vessel, vehicle, structure or land (whether or not there are structures on the land and whether or not the land is covered with water), and any plant or related accessories on or under such land, or any hereditament of tenure, together with any out-buildings and curtilage. The definition of a Premises includes any part (or parts) of a Premises and a Premises may encompass both a part (or parts) occupied as a place of Private Residence (i.e. a Dwelling) and a part (or parts) which is not occupied as a place of Private Residence (i.e. a Non-Domestic Premises).
• Private Residence means a Premises in which the Occupier(s) reside privately (i.e. with a general right to exclude others).

The CRU's decision on the Non-Domestic Tariff Framework establishes a national suite of tariffs which will be applied consistently to Non-Domestic Customers, including Mixed Use Customers (in respect of the water supplied and discharged from the Non Domestic Premises). The Non-Domestic Tariff Framework does not apply to Domestic Customers.

From the 1st October 2021, Mixed Use Customers will be charged the same tariffs for water and wastewater services as all other Non-Domestic Customers. Mixed Use Customers are charged in the normal way for the usage relating to the part of the Premises that is a Non-Domestic Premises. Metered Mixed Use Customers will be entitled to a domestic allowance to account for the usage of the part of the Mixed Use Premises that is a Dwelling.

The CRU's decision on the Non-Domestic Tariff Framework provides that from the 1st October 2021 the domestic allowance is set at 213m3 per annum for a metered Mixed Use Premises where part of the Mixed Use Premises which is a Dwelling has zero to four occupants. From this date, only metered Mixed Use Customers will be entitled to a domestic allowance.

Metered Mixed Use Customers may also apply for an additional domestic allowance amount of 25m3 for each additional occupant of the Dwelling above four. Uisce Éireann will publish details at a later date on how metered Mixed Use Customers can apply for an additional domestic allowance amount.

In an effort to assist our customers the table below describes, by way of example and general guidance, how some common types of connections will be categorised using the updated customer definitions. A connection means the customer has a connection to the public network for water and/or wastewater services. It is appreciated that not all connections might easily fall within these generalised criteria and these examples are provided for information purposes only.

Should a customer wish to query the categorisation applied by Uisce Éireann then we will be happy to discuss the individual circumstances and the exact nature of the connection with the customer. It should also be noted that many of the 'connection types' and associated 'general customer categorisations' as set out in the table below do not vary from those that have been applied previously by Local Authorities. It should be noted (and as per the definitions set out above) that a Dwelling is a "place of private residence".