New customers with the Manx Utilities Authority have been quoted as having to pay between £120 and £200 for electricity to be installed in their homes.

During Tuesday’s House of Keys sitting, the chair of the Manx Utilities Authority, John Wannenburgh, said: ‘The deposit value is assessed on an individual basis for non-domestic customers.

‘For domestic customers, the deposit varies between either £120 or £200. The amount is refundable after a period of two years with interest, provided that a good payment record is maintained.

‘The deposit is either applied to a customer’s account to meet the cost of electricity that they have consumed, or it is returned to them.

‘The security deposit is rarely discussed but its level has remained unchanged for quite a few years, while I don’t believe there’s any cause to change it at the moment.

‘I understand that this is a lot of money for some people, but we have to maintain the infrastructure, and all these things help to do that. Nothing is provided for free of course, but we will always work with people who need any further support.’

Mr Wannenburgh clarified that customers will not lose their deposits, while also confirming that the interest rate is only 1%.

In a supplementary question, Mr Moorhouse enquired whether this charge to implement electricity is something that the Mr Wannenburgh would look into, while referring to the fact Isle of Man Energy have no charge for this service.

Mr Wannenburgh replied: ‘It’s not something I’m going to look at in the immediate term, no.

‘It is difficult to make comparisons to other utility providers, as there are many other differences that would need to be taken into account such as disconnection policies.’