Irish Water has reported that domestic water usage has increased by an average of 20% during the COVID-19 lockdown, with households using an additional 24 litres of water per person per day.

New domestic metering data has revealed that there has been a significant increase in household water usage with a 20% increase from February. According to Irish Water this is in line with data from other UK water utilities who have reported an increase of 27 litres per person per day.

Non-domestic water usage has decreased with many businesses, construction sites, schools, colleges, gyms, hotels, bars and restaurants temporarily closed. While reduction in demand has helped to off-set some of the domestic demand, however as domestic demand represents two thirds of its business, Irish Water says its water supply is still under pressure.

In addition, when Government restrictions are lifted, many commercial premises will need to use extra water to clean and flush their plumbing systems and storage tanks or to complete deep cleans, while water usage in homes will continue to remain higher than normal.

As water treatment plants are already working to their maximum capacity, the water company is appealing to the public to prioritise handwashing over powerwashing and conserve water now where they can to help meet the increased demands on the network when restrictions are relaxed for businesses.