Is someone stealing my electricity?

[samcassers]

Hi there,

I have been reading my meter for the past 12 months or so, and the meter reading always seemed high.

The flat is a very small 1 bed with nothing out of the ordinary and seems to be using about 30kwh per day, which I thought was high so I decided to investigate.

There are 3 meters in the flat, and 3 flats in total in the building.

2 of the meters are pay as you go (see image below) and the other (my meter) is a standard one. As you can see from the image - the PAYG meter on the left has stayed at £26.90 for over a year.

I turned of the power by the flip switch (all power in the flat was off) but my meter was still going up slowly. I could hear the suspected flat had the TV on and lights were on. After half an hour the PAYG meter hadn't gone down even by a penny but mine had gone up by 1 kwh (even though the power was turned off by the mains to my flat).

Is it possible that my neighbor's flat is running off my meter and I am paying for both hers and my bills? If so, what steps should I take to fix this issue?

Thanks,
Sam

 

[Murdoch]

Do you own or rent the flat?

Purpose built or conversion?

30 kwh per day is way too high IMHO

 

[Sharpend]

The meter you question is wired incorrectly and therefore is not using the meter, It is therefore coming direct from your meter, you are paying.

 

[Fleeting]

The left side meter is effectively 'linked out' which is why it isn't showing usage so that needs looking into.
You don't want to be fiddling around too much in there with all those exposed conductors.

 

[Fleeting]

If that is the only service head it appears to all go through your meter. Can you show a wider picture.

 

[samcassers]

Thanks for the comments guys. Here are some more images

 

[samcassers]

If this is the case, who is responsible? Can I take legal action? Is my energy company obliged to refund me?

 

[Murdoch]

I'd say that you now have a bit of a problem with your neighbours and the supplier(s) to say the very least

Is this your property or rental?

How long have you been in the flat?

Are the other properties rented or owned?

 

[samcassers]

I own the property, I bought it in October 2020, and I think this has been going on since I moved in.
I think the other 2 are owned too but I am not 100% sure.

 

[Murdoch]

The way this looks as it "your" meter is then supplying all 3 flats.

Best you get on to your supplier and as a precaution you may want to advise the other flat owners what is being "investigated" - only once the supplier has confirmed this can you do much else

I would probably start by calling your supplier and ask for the fraud team

Its going to be a surprise to the others BUT they must be aware that they aren't paying for their electricity

As for claiming money back - no idea where to start but do you you have all your bills since you moved in?

Also - is there any "communal" lighting in or on the property?

Please keep us posted and I do hope this helps

 

[samcassers]

Ok thanks, yes there is some communal lighting in the hallways.

 

[samcassers]

If that is the only service head it appears to all go through your meter. Can you show a wider picture.

Yes, these are the only three meters. I know the one in the bottom right is mine because I turned everything on in my flat and it started moving much quicker.

 

[Murdoch]

Ok thanks, yes there is some communal lighting in the hallways.

So this is going to get complicated and messy.

The communal lighting needs to come off one of the flats OR have a separate meter - is their a fuseboard / consumer unit which controls the communal lighting ? Also how would this be paid for by the flats? Does the lease say anything about the communal lighting

Also when the meters are "improved" by the supplier , then you will probably need a domestic electrician in to do some work too.

And finally, who owns the freehold? They will need to be involved too.

 

[samcassers]

Here is what my energy company (EON) have said:

As discussed i have noted the account:
Meter is not wired properly and has been confirmed by electrician who has been on site. Seals are still on the meter and in tact no damage or tamper on the meter. Electrician has confirmed that Possibly Landlord of other 2 flats or free holder could have tampered so that gets the supply for free and the charges get added onto the address
Looking at pictures we have found:
Sub meter -
Action to follow: Mr needs to get into contact with other LL and ask why the meter has been connected after his meter. The LL or freeholder has got somebody to fit a sub meter and are feeding it into the supply of the flats. 3 Flats in the building. Can see on images sent that it is wired after the meter. This would class as a third party dispute and revenue protection would not get involved. Mr will need to contact the other LL or freeholder to question why they have done this as they are stealing electricity from them by advancing his reads and making his bill even larger. I have left with Mr to investigate this. Mr would need to get electrician to come out on site and wire everything correctly in the cupboard so that the meters can work how they should be originally set up

Edited to remove identifying/personal information

 

[Sharpend]

Is this property? Originally a house that’s been converted to flats? Have you brought the whole property or just the flat?

The bottom right meter is the original meter for the entire property, the other two have been lashed in after the conversion to flats.

Don’t be surprised if the supply company want to charge a small fortune to change it to be correct.
Have you asked your metering division how many Mpan numbers are associated with the building?

There are so many things wrong here that you may find this will open and expensive can of worms.

 

[johnb2713]

Here is what my energy company (EON) have said:

Seals are still on the meter and in tact no damage or tamper on the meter.

There are no visible seals on the meter wired incorrectly.

 

[Fleeting]

That is a whole can of worms.

 

[kerching]

It appears
One service to the property
One meter from Eon
Left meter is bypassed
Where are the meters located? As access is needed for card top up
Those are private submains as the DNO would not install like that OR adopt them.....

I feel you are going to have a very long road ahead of you and it's covered in potholes filled with

 

[Murdoch]

I think the OP needs to take this up with EON again. They are not 100% responsible for this nor the remedial action unless they are the 100% freehold owner,

The way I see it is that it’s 3 separate dwellings and each needs its own account and meter

It’s a big mess and the OP is out of pocket, and without the assistance of the provider AND the generosity of the other flat owners this could end very badly

Wonder what the lease says, if anything about this?

AND who is the freeholder

 

[Fleeting]

I don't know much about key meters but surely you must be registered with a service provider to top them up?
But there is no way a service provider lashed them in like that in what looks like 10.0 T&E.