Housing Minister Simon Coveney has said that households should be allowed to use 123 litres of water per day free of charge before excess costs apply.
He has also called for those who have not paid water charges to be pursued for the debts.
A special commission last month recommended most homes get water for free.
Mr Coveney admitted that the Government have yet to receive confirmation from Brussels as to whether the new water charges plan was allowable under EU law.
“The average usage in Ireland is about 46,000 litres. To be exact it is about 123 litres per day for an average adult.
“We need to be at the national average and probably a little bit more than that so that people who are using water will have some flexibility around being a little bit above the average or below the average,” Mr Coveney said.