Why don't people remove/replace the meter on te switchboard to avoid paying for electricity?

The real kick is waiting about a half a month and then turning the meter upside down. The thing then runs backwards! But you must break the seal in a way that isn’t apparent when the meter guy checks (and be sure to turn it right-side up before the check!)

That was a quick response :P
Clearly you have knowledge in these matters… “Mr. davidbetterman”, if that is really your name.
rings meter guy I’m dobbing on you!

I’m guessing that the “seal” you’re referring to varies from country to country. Perhaps some can’t be broken without it being obvious

@julia999 I just logged in…Was lucky enough to catch your question quickly.

Go ahead and tell on my you little sneetch!

You can always borrow a seal from the meter guy when he isn’t looking!

hands over phone Your mother wants to have a word with you. ;)

Well that is interesting, but I’m sure it is not as easy as it sounds, or else more people would try to cheat on their electricity bill.

It is quite a common practice to steal electricity by bypassing the meter, not by modifying it. Not hard to do, but huge penalties if caught,. Here (Australia) it is often a custodial sentence. With the older meters you could also “slow it down” by placing a very powerful magnet in the right position. Move it around until it visibly slows then fix it in that position. When I was in UNI a lot of kids would place a rare earth magnet in the hollowed end of a broom or rake handle and “casually” lean it against the meter. (You would really want to be sure that it was gone when the meter was read.)

@DarkScribe I am also based in Australia. I suppose it’s really a matter of not being caught. Do meter men announce when they are coming? i.e. does the household receive a letter before he shows up, or is it just a rough date (eg. end of the month sometime).

I suppose with the magnet you have to be careful that you don’t speed up the meter!

@julia999 . I suppose it’s really a matter of not being caugh

If you want to risk a criminal record simply to save a few hundred dollars then go for it. They will investigate a sudden drop in usage – it is how most people get caught.

No, they do not announce when they are going to read the meter – unless you have a large dog on the premises and state so when the power in connected in your name. Then they will make an appointment. The only possible way to have a chance of getting away with it is to do it from the start, not a have a change in usage patterns.

Although like many things, an interesting exercise in “how can it be done” it really isn’t worth the risk. A lifetime criminal record?

That is interesting, though personally I have no intention of doing so (my parents pay the bills anyway!) but I figured that if it can be done, people will be doing it.

I wonder how many people in Australia risk it.

Theft of services is illegal.

I live in the US and our meter is digital. The meter-reading guy doesn’t even have to get out of the car to check the meter. He has a device that reads it from a distance. He just pulls into the driveway and points the device in the direction of the meter and it gives him the usage amount.

@Toshiba _ I live in the US and our meter is digital. The meter-reading guy doesn’t even have to get out of the car to check the meter.

Even easier to hack. We are introducing something similar in newer housing areas here and are already experiencing hacking problems. They are increasing the handshaking security.

@Darkscribe
I agree, electronics will be even easier to hack, and if it’s a matter of software it can easily be distributed.

The problem isn’t so much altering the meter readings, it’s getting away with it. The power company already has a pretty good idea of your normal power consumption and tend to ask questions if it changes too dramatically. When I replaced the light bulbs in our old place with CFLs, they noticed and got a little suspicious at the sudden drop in KW-hours.

Stealing services raises prices for the rest of us so that makes it a supremely dickish move to do it.

Also there’s the threat of jail tht most people aren’t big on.

Also, you are dealing with electricity. You stand a chance of being fried if you do it wrong.

Well I guess that answers my question – it’s definitely possible to cheat an electricity bill and there are people out there who do it!

I’d be interested in getting a meter (i.e. a separate apparatus, so that it’s not illegal) and testing out the procedure.

Because of everywhere that I know of in the United States it is illegal to do that, otherwise everyone would do it.