Environment minister Alan Kelly has all but confirmed that the cap on water charges will be extended into 2016 - with charges possibly cut in the meantime.
The minister says the government will decide on major changes to the charges system in the next week or so.
He says the charges will be "modest" and that customers will then have certainty about the bills they should expect for years to come.
"They're going to be changed," he said this lunchtime.
"I think they're going to reflect the concerns of the people. I want to say that quite publicly. I think the charges are going to be modest.
"There is also a requirement for certainty over a long period of time. Certainly as minister I'm pushing that we bring certainty, as regards charges, to the public in the next week."
The government is believed to be considering an extension of the capped period for charges - which is currently due to lapse after June 2015 - well into 2016, when the bulk of homes will have meters installed.
However it's not clear how the charges could become more "modest" than they currently are, as this would require the government to increase its general funding for Irish Water - something it says it can't do without bringing Irish Water's deficit under the government umbrella.
Meanwhile Irish Water's under-fire CEO, John Tierney, has apologised for the botched handling of the water charges rollout.
"I want to apologise to our customers for mistakes that have been made,
"We are working with the government to address all of the issues that have arisen.
"We are working with the government to get this right. For me, this is all about people - people in terms of having a good quality water supply."
