What is power theft?

Power theft is a problem which has been plaguing a power utility a problem which has been plaguing a power utility since it’s service and accounts for a significant amount of high transmission and distribution losses in our country.

Power theft is defined as an intentional attempt by a person to reduce or avoid the money he owes to the utility for his energy consumption.

Any registered consumer or unauthorized non-consumer may commit pilferage of energy.

The most prominent sources in this genre are:

• Electricity theft
• Nonpayment of electricity bill

Popular ways of power theft are :

• Meter tempering
• Direct hooking

Meter tempering

Some of the various methods of meter tempering for power theft are :

• Placing the powerful magnet on the meter.
• Bypassing of meters.
• Disturbing the disc rotation by interring some material externally.
• Stopping the meter by remote control.
• Mechanical jerk.
• Change in meter terminals, etc

Direct hooking

• This is one of the most common a wells as a visible form of commercial loss.
• In this method of power theft, antisocial elements tap the bare conductors of L.T feeder or tampered service wire to make unauthorized and unmetered consumption.
• It is mostly found in rural areas . on occasions like festivals, wedding ceremonies, etc, and in the areas which are away from normal residential areas hooking is mostly observed.