Regulator says Irish Water should not proceed with metering

Commission for Energy Regulation also proposes financial incentives for homeowners

by Sarah Bardon

So far 58% of households have had meters put in place but several hundred thousand properties remain to be linked

Irish Water should stop installing water meters in homes, the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) has declared, warning that the cost of completion will cripple efforts to improve water quality and supply.

In a submission to an Oireachtas committee which is investigating options, the CER – Ireland’s water regulator – said finishing the programme was not a priority.

So far 58 per cent of households have had meters put in place – the installation efforts have been strongly opposed in some places – but several hundred thousand properties remain to be linked. No money has been put in Irish Water’s 2017/18 capital budget to finish the work.

“If a decision was taken to complete further metering then either significant additional funding would have to be made available or a significant level of necessary capital expenditure would have to be deferred from other priorities for water investment for the time period 2017-2018,” the CER.

CER also proposes that householders should be given the option of installing a meter which would entitle them to a tax rebate if they use less water than the average. Grants should be given to people who invest in water-saving measures, while it also proposes that the installation of meters in new houses and estates should be mandatory.

Expert commission

The regulator made the submission to the newly-established Oireachtas committee examining the future of water charges. The committee was established last year to consider a report by an expert commission.

This commission proposed water be funded by general taxation and each household be given an average allowance to be determined by the CER.

The regulator says it will consult publicly before deciding on allowances and and penalties for excessive usage.

In a separate submission, Irish Water said €13 billion must be invested in Ireland’s water and waste-water services to ensure safe drinking water and proper sewage treatment.

Irish Water said it does not believe water services should be funded wholly or largely through the Exchequer since this would put investment in competition with public spending demands. It said guaranteed funding was needed.

“Shortfall in funding tends to disproportionately affect the performance of the system since fixed costs [staff, chemicals, and energy] must be met, so that any shortfalls have a direct and rapid impact on the condition of the assets and the operation of the service.”

Legislation

If funding is to come from general taxation then legislation will be needed to ensure that income is guaranteed. The utility has required additional funding from the Exchequer since water charges were suspended.

Irish Water confirmed that €714 million would be needed this year – the annual €475 million subvention plus €239 million replacement revenue in lieu of previous domestic billable income.

The Oireachtas committee will meet Thursday to hear from Irish Water, the CER and officials from the Department of Housing.

Source: Irish Times, Jan 11 2017

Anger remains in Jobstown over how area was ‘criminalised’

Trials of 18 people charged with false imprisonment of Joan Burton start in April

Frank Donaghy, Pauline Deegan and Tanya Felloni: “The whole of Jobstown was there by the end,” Felloni says. Photograph: Cyril Byrne

Two years after water charges protesters surrounded the car of then tánaiste Joan Burton in Jobstown, the name of the west Dublin suburb remains synonymous with the infamous incident.

Burton, who was also minister for social protection at the time, was reportedly unable to leave her car for more than two hours and was said to have been badly shaken by the experience.

Though she and the Labour Party are now out of government, the event remains fresh in the minds of the people in the area, while the legal and political fallout continues.

The trials of 18 people charged with false imprisonment of Burton, including Anti-Austerity Alliance TD Paul Murphy, begin next April. A schoolboy who was convicted last October for his involvement in the protest is appealing against his conviction.

In November 2014, protesters surrounded Burton’s car following a graduation ceremony at the An Cosán education centre, banging on the car with their fists, shouting slogans and refusing Garda requests to step back.

Widespread criticism of the protesters saw them described them as “violent” and their behaviour as “unacceptable”, though such opinions are not shared by many locally.

“The whole of Jobstown has been criminalised by the media since that protest,” says Paul Keane (60) on his way into the Centra shop on Kiltalown Way.

His wife was at the protest, says the former printer. “It was blown out of all proportion after. She [Burton] was what, delayed a few hours? It wasn’t just people from Jobstown at the protest. A lot of people were angry with the Labour Party for the broken promises.”

Working-class people

A woman in her 30s who does not want to be named says it was a “toss-up” about what happened. “I understand people were very angry but I think they went too far. But then Joan Burton did a lot of harm cutting lone parent’s allowance, and the gardaí I think made the situation worse on the day.”

A shop-owner also does not want to be named as, he says, he has to be “neutral”.

“A lot of people around here are upset about what happened, but in my own opinion the protest was justified. The Labour Party took the votes of working-class people around here for granted. That backfired on them. They left the way wide open for the far left and Sinn Féin.”

Tricolours fly from several of the houses in the area while some kerb-stones in the Cloonmore estate are painted green, white and orange.

Jobstown, which is 20km west of Dublin city centre, is classified as “very disadvantaged” by State agency Pobal. According to its data, 61 per cent of families are headed by lone parents, just 4.7 per cent of adults have third-level education, 33 per cent have only primary education and the male unemployment rate is 49.3 per cent.

‘Better life’

Tanya Felloni (27), a single mother of two children under nine, was not on the protest, but heard it and came out to see what was happening. “Everyone came out. The whole of Jobstown was there by the end. People weren’t just protesting about water. They were protesting because they want a better life.”

Having completed a journalism course this year, she had hoped it would be “the beginning of something great”, but financial struggles make planning difficult.

“I have a pay-as-you-go electricity meter. Most Wednesdays we have no electricity because I’m out of money. My little boy is used to no electricity on Wednesdays. He shouldn’t have to live like this,” she says.

“My landlady wants us out of the house in January. I can’t think beyond next week most of the time.”

Linda Gorman describes as “poxy” the way Jobstown was portrayed. “It’s made out that Jobstown is full of criminals and gurriers, when people living here are very decent. It’s not easy. There’s nothing for teenagers, no jobs for young people. You make what you can of it.”

Source: Kitty Holland, The Irish Times, Jan 11, 2017

BC Hydro smart meters have been colossal failure

ByKamloops This Week- Jan 8, 2017

Editor:

The B.C. Liberal government’s Clean Energy Act forced smart meters on everyone.

Compare the promises with the outcome:

a) “Energy rates will be reduced.” This has not happened anywhere. Look at Ontario, for example.

b) “It’s good for the environment.” How? Where has this proven to be true?

c) “There will be efficiencies.” Not with life spans of smart meters being far shorter than given in the business case — closer to five years than the promised 20.

d) “Measurements Canada has stricter guidelines that analogs don’t meet.” Not true, according to Measurements Canada itself. They don’t care what meter is used, as long as it’s accurate.

e) “Analogs are not available.” Not true. Look to California.

f) “Smart meters are safe in every regard.” Not true. Health is endangered by radio frequency, safety by fires and security by hacking and cyberattacks.

g) “Costs will be reduced.” Not when the meters are being replaced/upgraded virtually constantly. Not when security measures could cost billions and were never included in the initial business plan.

A BC Hydro rep told me they “treat everyone equally,” yet was silent when I questioned the extortion fees the refuseniks were paying for manual readings, while smart meter owners receive the same service without extra charge.

The BC Utilities Commission was disempowered by former premier Gordon Campbell’s mandate. Had it been able to do its job, the smart-meter program would have been revealed for the colossal financial fiasco it is, endangering our health, privacy, safety and security.

Stop it now and cut our losses. Get these smart meters recalled and bring the safe, cheap, dependable analogs back by changing the Clean Energy Act.

P. Gregson
Clearwater

Source: http://fliuch.org/bc-hydro-smart-meters-have-been-colossal-failure/
            https://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/bc-hydro-smart-meters-colossal-failure/