Question: Councillor M. Baker
To ask the Manager what arrangements are in place for tenants to pay the heating bill in Benamore Apartments?
Reply:
Each tenant contributes €12.50 per week towards their heating/hot water costs as part of their rent. However, if a tenant uses less than this amount for a billing period they receive a refund. Conversely, if they use more than their contribution, they are issued with a bill for the difference. Each of the 19 apartments have an individual Control Unit which provides a meter reading in their property. The meter records the number of units consumed by each household for their heating/hot water consumption. The total number of units consumed by the 19 apartments is added to the standing charge and VAT. A unit cost is derived by dividing this total by the readings on the individual Control Units. This unit cost is then applied to each individual’s unit consumption for that period. This is the fairest and most transparent method of charging tenants for their consumption as each tenant only pays for the units they have consumed. The average cost for tenants for heating/hot water consumption averaged €8.60 per week for the billing period 6/7/12 to 23/1/13 which was well within the weekly contribution and resulted in the majority of tenants receiving a refund. Tenants, therefore, should use the system as directed without the fear of exorbitant bills.