Focus group views on future electricity pricing

Members of the community are set to be invited to help "enhance" a new five-year pricing strategy for electricity on the Isle of Man.

Manx Utilities (MU) has appointed market researchers to ask customers to join focus groups on the "principles of future tariffs and how they are designed".

The company’s latest pricing strategy is set to go before the island’s parliament for consideration and approval in November.

MU chairman John Wannenburgh MHK said it was important to listen to customers, "particularly as the electricity industry transitions to green energy".

The focus group topics will include preferences on tariff structures, customer energy usage patterns, perceptions of value for money and service quality, and the potential impact of evolving energy markets and new technology.

Independent market research firm Davies and McKerr will carry out the project by contacting about 1,000 people, before creating groups of about 10 divided into the types of tariff offered, including solar, pre-paid meter, and online top-up.

MU’s current pricing strategy was published in 2018 and its replacement, which was delayed by a year due to volatility in the wholesale energy market, is set to be put before Tynwald next month.

An MU spokeswoman said consulting with customers was important due to the wide range of tariffs that the company now offers, such as the specific tariffs for people with electric vehicles or air source heat pumps.

‘It’s about looking forward into the future and having tariffs that are fit for the community,’ she said.

Mr Wannenburgh said he was "wholly supportive" of the initiative, which is the first of its kind to be carried out by MU, and it would provide a " positive addition" to the forthcoming strategy.

"Our tariffs should reflect our customers’ diverse needs, support sustainability goals and where possible, provide customer choice," he added.

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