‘Electric Detectives’ Track Down Power Thieves

For most, tampering with an electric meter or tapping into a power line to siphon off free electricity just seems like a bad idea. It’s a practice that could bring instant death or, at the least, a very sudden and painful shock.
Yet stealing electricity is a way of life for some and even a business, an illegal one, for others. And the real victims are paying customers and Oncor.

[chargermopar]

It would be nice if you were allowed to live without a connection to any utility company.

[isettech]

I have broken a seal on an electric meter as an emergency measure to disconnect service due to a failed main breaker in a panel. Verified power was off, replaced the breaker, , reinstalled the meter to restore power, and contacted the utility to inspect and re-seal the meter base. In non emergency work, they request you contact them to pull the meter. They would normally take the meter with them, but if the unit is occupied, you can often get them to leave the meter in your custody to restore power after the work is completed. Work with your utility for any electric work.

[tigercat]

I reported my failing residential power meter and APS ignored me. A few months later they replaced the meter, billed me for "estimated use", and said I paid late. FK the power company.

[dw]

Don’t lie. Everyone knows it IS about revenue. If it wasn’t why was friend threatened with sue and made to pay back 25 years of estimated use? Wasn’t even him who did the bypass. A tenant and my friend being older guy didn’t know due to all 3 buildings being on the same power bill. The bypass was just the shop building where the guy rented for many years while running a car repair business.

[chuckthebull]

Governments mentality is corporate and corporate mentality is always telling you it's about safety and not the money when it's all about the money and "power" of the investment class.. But they keep rasing the rates. Don't let them lie to you. No one is dying from tampering, , they are dying of poverty.

[DanSanChannel]

I’m stealing solar power and there’s not a dang thing you can do about it. I’m even selling the stolen power back to the electric company. GET REKT!

[bobboscarato]

You're paying for the electricity one of your neighbors may have stolen!

[msmeyersmd]

For a lot of psychopathic criminals running energy corporations...people.
Grievous price manipulation and overcharging fr electrical power is a way of life.

[thedude]

Lol people act as if 240V is high voltage

[mrgillagorilla]

It's been 2022 years and we don't have free electricity. We never will.

[dj_paultuk]

Why does the US have removable meters, its like they are asking to be hacked. Over here in the UK they are all sealed and 4G based. So they phone home every day with readings to the elec company. This means you can track your usage online in real time which is kinda useful.

[scott_meyer]

Where I live all of the meters upload readings multiple times a day over cellular data network. So I think they would notice pretty quick when a house usage suddenly went to 0.

[analog_guy]

Electricity is a fantastic bargain. As an example, I'm presently paying about 13 cents per kilowatt-hour for electricity, including taxes. So how much energy is a kilowatt-hour? A kilowatt-hour is the energy required to raise more than 13 tons of material 100 feet up. To do this work if you have a frictionless rope-pulley-winch system, you will have to winch 54 pounds of material 100 feet up every minute for 8 hours of work. Or perhaps you would rather spread the work over two workdays and winch up 27 pounds every minute for 16 hours. How much pay would you require to make it worth your while to do this amount of exhausting labor?

On the other hand, we could use an electric motor to drive the winch. Electric motors can be up to 98% efficient, but let's say our typical motor is 90% efficient. Using the motor, we could have the work done and pay the power company 14.5 cents! Count your blessings that you live in the age of electric power. 🙂

[allanrichardson]

I heard a story in Transmission Lines class in the sixties, told by the prof, about a farmer who noticed a high voltage line just off his property. He put up a wire on his side of the property line, running parallel to the electrical line but maybe 100 feet away, and used the power.

They detected the amount of power lost, and sued him for theft of power.

[victoryfirst]

What a bull dung story. YOU will get no mercy here for certain. When electric companies charge exorbitant rates for energy. What the hell do you expect.

[UTuber]

Such a load of BS.
I know its wrong and dangerous but the name of the decision is "REVENUE SECURITY"
Im in no way condoning the theft of electricity but don't end the video by saying it's not about the money when it clearly is.
If it was just about safety then prove it by giving away free safe electricity

[Bushybowl]

The last thing that was said, and said it with a straight face too

[gblargg]

They should refuse service to customers who steal power. "No electricity for you! Get a generator or solar panels, loser!"

[zaptor]

It’s about the revenue. Yes, it’s wrong to be stealing electricity but the jumpers are already installed so it’s no longer a danger so it’s now about the revenue. Stealing power is stealing which is the wrong thing to do.

[ryanroberts]

"It's about safety not revenue"...BULLSHIT!