Not a lot of people know this, well I guess if you live on the Isle of Man then you do actually, but our electricity is some of the most expensive you will find ANYWHERE. I really mean that, I’ve checked unit costs across lots of countries and it’s difficult to find anywhere that beats the Isle of Man in terms of consumer electricity costs. The current price of electricity on the Isle of Man is 14.62 pence per unit + 5% VAT – With a further 7% rise already agreed to come in to place in 2010 (that’s before we even get started with fuel prices)

Why Is Electricity So Expensive On The Isle of Man?

It’s a bit of a raw subject but the simple version is that the MEA (Manx Electricity Authority) took out some unauthorised loans in order to build a new power station (which by the way cost well over what a similar station in the UK would cost). The end result was a lot of brown stuff hitting the fan and the customers i.e. us, being saddled with a debt mountain to pay off. You combine that with a fuel monopoly and …well you get the picture. In my opinion it’s a shame, there can’t be many more windier places with such large tidal ranges and yet we are still entirely reliant on fossil fuels. Of which we have no natural resources.

The Cost Of Running Electrical Goods

The table below details the energy usage (KWh) and cost (in pence per hour) of running many common electrical goods on the Isle of Man. These are tests I’ve done myself using an Owl Energy Monitor.

Where Can I save Money?

The obvious answers are replace your standard light bulbs with energy saving bulbs and think of a better way of heating water than a standard kettle. We swapped out 7 standard bulbs for their energy saving alternatives and replaced our standard kettle with a Tefal Quick Cup Deluxe. In just under 2 months we saved the unit equivalent of £35 of our electricity bill! (A year on year comparison) You have to remember that where energy saving goods are advertised as saving X in the UK the extra cost of electricity in the Isle of Man actually increases the cost savings. It’s a no brainer.

The other place where savings can be made is with standby mode. Whilst measuring the amount of electricity used is quite hard (becuase of the small amounts) it does add up. Some real standby hogs include the Xbox 360 console, your Sky Box and any TV over 32 inches. If you look at the table you can see exactly how the cost of running a larger TV increases much more than you’d think for those few extra inches. When it comes to computing there is a real difference to be seen in running a laptop versus a traditional Base+Monitor setup. If you’re not a frequent computer user then you may be better off with a laptop.

Whilst these energy saving tips can apply to anywhere and everywhere the positive effects on your back balance are certainly magnified on the Isle of Man. You don’t have to see it as saving the planet, see it as saving your hard earned cash.

In a word, yes. There are shops in each town that sell National Lottery tickets. To date there have been several large’ish wins from punters playing from the IOM. The Isle of Man can also benefit from National Lottery funding initiatives.

It’s worth noting that you can also play the National Lottery online. The sign up process for Isle of Man residents is slightly more long winded in that you’ll need to provide a utility bill as proof of your address but it’s still a simple process, your account will usually be opened in a couple of days.

Click Here To Play The National Lottery Online

If you visit the Isle of Man and you live outside the UK then you should have travel insurance anyway. Most travel insurance includes medical expenses. Up until April 2010 if you lived within the UK and visited the Isle of Man then there would have been no need for any form of private medical insurance as the Isle of Man and the UK had a recipricol health agreement.

However, from April 2010 onwards people visiting the Isle of Man from the UK will need medical insurance, for most people this will mean taking out travel insurance when visiting the island. A & E treatment is provided free of charge but any ongoing care charges have to be covered privately. This can get hugely expensive so insurance is a must.

The ending of the recipricol health agreement also impacts people who live on the Isle of Man. We will now need insurance when visiting the UK.

As more people turn to the internet for their shopping requirements it’s a question that gets asked over and over again. Does anybody do free delivery to the Isle of Man? The answer is yes. Several online shops do provide a free delivery service to the Isle of Man. Several more also only charge a standard delivery charge to the island and don’t take the opportunity to add on large amounts of extra postage. To keep things simple we’ll list online retailers who deliver for free and those who deliver at their standard rate seperately:-

Online Retailers That Deliver To The Isle of Man For Free:-

Play.com – Offer free delivery to the Isle of Man on all goods.

Amazon.co.uk – Order more than £5 worth of goods from Amazon.co.uk and you can opt for Free Super Saver delivery to have your goods delivered for free to the IOM. This only applies to goods sold direct from Amazon.

Game.co.uk – Free delivery on everything to the Isle of Man.

Great Universal – Free delivery on most items to the Isle of Man.

Dabs.co.uk – NOT ALL THE TIME – Dabs offer free delivery offers from time to time and these do include the Isle of Man.

Online Retailers That Deliver To The Isle of Man At Standard Rate (No Extra)

Marks & Spencer – A standard £3.50 charge covers everything.

Woolworths.co.uk – No extra charges for delivery to the Isle of Man

If you know of any more online retailers who welcome Manx shoppers then pease leave a comment.