How to calculate the theft of electricity and punish those who do it. What to do if neighbors steal electricity What to do if electricity is stolen from a house

For the inhabitants of new Russia, stealing from power engineers is already a familiar thing, although this does not make the problem less urgent: according to statistics, approximately every sixth power outage occurs due to external interference. But if earlier the plunderers of wires and other equipment were considered the main pests, then recently power companies have begun to talk more and more often about a new scourge - theft of electricity itself.

The zeal of the power engineers in the fight against this phenomenon is quite understandable, since the damage from the actions of the "power companies" on the national scale is estimated at billions of rubles, which are now leaking from the pockets of not the state-owned RAO UES of Russia, but of quite specific shareholders of grid and sales companies. But even ordinary consumers who regularly pay by the meter can hardly be pleased with such a tendency: power outages, failing electrical appliances, as well as extra kilowatt-hours unexpectedly presented for payment - all this may indicate that somewhere nearby the "energy vampire" appeared.

Golden current

It is hardly possible to speak about the damage from the "energosovorov" expressed in exact monetary amounts. At least, IDGC Holding, which controls distribution grid organizations in 69 regions of the Russian Federation, found it difficult to provide any information on this topic, which, in principle, is not surprising: in order to assess the size of the theft, it must first be identified. And the resulting figure will indicate not the true shortage, but only the one established thanks to the measures taken. And in this regard, the situation in the regions is far from unambiguous, although it allows one to judge the scale of theft in the country as a whole.

For example, only in the Moscow Regional Electric Grid Company (MOESK), power engineers over the past year revealed non-contractual consumption of more than 185 million kW / h in the amount of more than 602.5 million rubles. At the same time, taking into account the previously identified violations, during the year 615.4 million rubles were collected from "energovorov". In the first half of this year, the employees of the grid company discovered a shortage of more than 107 million kW / h in the amount of 423 million rubles, which, of course, may indicate the increased activity of not only (and not so much) thieves, but also the power engineers themselves.

In regions with lower consumption, they steal (and identify thefts), respectively, in smaller volumes: for example, in the first half of 2011. specialists from Kubanenergo revealed unaccounted electricity consumption in the amount of more than 99 million rubles, Dalenergosbyt (Primorsky Territory) - 60 million rubles, Lipetskenergo - 33 million rubles.

Wires to the next world

The power engineers themselves do not cease to be amazed at both the impudence and the carelessness of violators, bordering on thoughtlessness. After all, unaccounted electricity consumption is revealed by a simple check, and the main methods of avoiding payment have also been known to everyone for a long time: either connect bypassing the meter, or alter the meter itself accordingly. In the first case, people usually throw a wire directly onto the power line, which, on the one hand, is easily detected, on the other hand, it disables electrical appliances (and not only for the offender himself) as a result of an increase in the load, causes short circuits and fires, or even leads to tragic events. And in the reports of incidents, information appears, for example, about how last autumn in Barnaul a seven-year-old boy stumbled upon such a "sketch" and died, and in Primorye a wire fell on a one and a half-year-old child, with the help of which the grandfather organized illegal energy consumption.

Sometimes, however, the resourcefulness of the "energy vampires" also amazes electricians. For example, last year Orelenergo specialists, having recorded a sharp reduction in electricity consumption at one of the filling stations, together with the operatives, seized the meter and sent it for examination.

As it turned out, the counter was significantly altered: a sealed contact was soldered into an electronic circuit, which, when placed on the top of the magnet counter, stopped the operation of the device.

Steal everything that hangs badly

Against the background of the theft of electricity, theft of the energy equipment itself, or rather the damage from them, looks paler: apparently, there are no longer so many people willing to risk being brought to trial for the sake of several coils of wire handed over to the collection point for non-ferrous metals. For example, for the entire past year in the area of responsibility of Pskovenergo 16 cases of theft of wires and other electrical equipment were recorded (damage was about 530 thousand rubles), “Kirovenergo” - 8 cases (damage was about 140 thousand rubles).

True, there are still individuals suitable for this criminal business boldly and on a grand scale. Not so long ago, one resident of the Tambov region stole 1.5 km of a wire from a power transmission line: first, he prudently cut off the electricity, then with the help of a tractor knocked down 13 wooden poles, from which this wire was removed. As a result, the entire village, supplied from this power line, was left without electricity for several days, the damage to the enterprise was estimated at 200 thousand rubles, and the actions of a mechanized intruder - 2.5 years in a penal colony with a strict regime.

There are other impressive thefts: in the Pskov region last year, attackers managed to steal a 63 KVA power transformer and 9 km of wire (damage 205 thousand rubles), in the Volgodsk region unknown persons simply removed 305 kg of metal from the same transformer, and in the Kirov region the criminal stole "only" 40 meters of a communication cable, but not just any one, but laid on poles across the river and connecting the local power grid administration with one of its divisions.

Even in the midst of liquidating the consequences of the "freezing" rain in the Moscow region last winter, someone managed to add their "contribution" to the rampant disaster by disconnecting the high-voltage line Saburovo-Vidnoe-1. Power engineers assume that the attackers did this by closing the line with a piece of pipe, after which they tried to cut the wires, but the emergency automatics again put the power line under voltage, and the visiting team found the same piece and a melted chainsaw at this place.

Collective verdict

However, in contrast to the unaccounted consumption of electricity, which is of a massive spontaneous nature, thefts of energy equipment, according to the testimony of power engineers, have recently become organized and carefully planned. Therefore, the problem remains urgent even for the Federal Grid Company (FGC UES), which operates backbone networks, the wires of which are difficult to reach. But FGC UES notes an increase in the number of thefts of various metal structures from the supports of high-voltage lines.

"If earlier people from disadvantaged social groups were mainly engaged in the theft of energy equipment, some simply out of despair, today, in most cases, these crimes are committed by well-organized criminal groups equipped with the necessary equipment, equipment and well-established sales channels," noted the trend in FGC UES ...

Naturally, the Department of Economic Security of the company is forced to deal with such groups together with the internal affairs bodies. In July, in the Orenburg region, they detained a group of five people who confessed to stealing equipment from power lines on the territory of five regions of the region. Two points of reception of scrap metal with stolen parts were also found, as well as persons who supplied metal structures to the entrepreneur were identified. The degree of guilt of all those involved will be determined by the court, but, as the network company recalled, the theft of power equipment and the disabling of power facilities are serious criminal offenses, punishment for which, in accordance with the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, may follow as a fine (up to 10 million rubles). and in the form of imprisonment - for up to 10 years.

By the way, unauthorized consumption of electricity, as a rule, falls under Article 165 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (causing property damage by deception or abuse of trust in the absence of signs of theft), and, in addition to a fine, can be punished with correctional labor for up to one year, arrest up to four months , or imprisonment for up to five years.

Of course, it rarely comes to real imprisonment in such cases, but, for example, in the Astrakhan region alone, 125 convictions were passed under this article last year, and 45 local residents received sentences of suspended imprisonment for up to six months or compulsory works.

Thief nets?

The problems of theft, especially in Russia with its centuries-old traditions, hardly boil down to purely technical possibilities to steal or catch a thief. On the one hand, according to Konstantin Simonov, Director General of the National Energy Security Fund, embezzlement is a problem of all infrastructure projects, especially in the fuel and energy complex, be it tie-ins into oil pipelines or unauthorized connection to power grids, since “as long as there is an opportunity to take electricity for free, it will be be used ".

On the other hand, the energy companies themselves, to a certain extent, provoke consumers to steal. For example, charging a fee not only for electricity consumption, but also for the very technical connection to power grids, which, moreover, is agreed upon for a long time after the submission of the corresponding application.

Nevertheless, consumers can hardly hope for the abolition of such a fee and any other concessions from the side of power engineers. As well as impunity: while strengthening control over electricity consumption is commercially justified, companies will invest in it, and, judging by the scale of theft, this will be a profitable investment for a long time to come.

Moreover, according to K. Simonov, in the near future the fight against thefts of this kind may intensify in connection with the initiative of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to transfer to private investors regional grid companies, now controlled by IDGC Holding. "I think private traders will actively fight this problem. The main thing, of course, would be that the implementation of investment programs did not suffer, but this is already a matter of their priorities," the expert concluded.

Pavel Baturin, RBK

Theft of electricity is an illegal consumption of energy resources in the event of an unauthorized connection to the network by a consumer or to establish the smallest kilowatt charge for a consumption meter. What kind of punishment will be imposed on the offender depends on the amount of damage and the degree of danger.

The penalty for theft of electricity is provided for:

The Code of Administrative Offenses.
By the Criminal Code.
The Civil Code.

Electricity theft law is not harsh. The damage from the illegal use of electricity in Russia exceeds several billion rubles. In the form of a sanction for theft of electricity, liability is provided for under Article 165 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (causing material damage to the state). The highest measure for this type of crime is a prison term of up to five years, accompanied by a fine of up to 80 thousand.

To keep track of consumed energy resources, a general house electric meter is mounted at the entrance to the house. From it there is a main riser from the bottom up along the entrance, from which there are branches of wires to each apartment.

To prevent the meter from showing how much energy is consumed, the thief uses several methods to steal electricity:

There are no free electrical resources, everyone knows this. Therefore, consumers pay for the consumed electricity in full. Tariffs are set by local authorities. To account for all the energy consumed, meters are installed in each room or apartment.

Theft of state electricity is an illegal connection or waste of light energy. If a person does not pay for services on time, then he is liable for non-payment, this has nothing to do with fraud.

Electricity theft is criminalized as follows:

if energy consumption is associated with selfish forgery or malicious intent;
the amount of harm is equal to 250 thousand rubles or more.

Both the resource supplier and the energy sales company have the right to contact the human rights authorities. To bring violators to justice, it is necessary to confirm the reality of the fraud, and how many resources were stolen during individual consumption.

To identify fraudsters, suppliers will verify the meters in a private and residential building. If they find that they have interfered with the operation of the meter, then they draw up an act on the illegal consumption of electricity. A citizen can challenge the act in court and pay the debt.

When an act of illegal use is drawn up, the meter is invalidated, the standard in this case is calculated from the moment the correct readings are recorded. An increased rate is considered the norm and will differ from natural consumption. The amount in case of damage is recorded in a statement, which is sent to the human rights authorities. When the amount of damage caused is more than 250 thousand rubles, a criminal case is initiated on the basis of Article 165 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

If it turns out that the consumer has begun to steal energy resources, the offender is brought to justice depending on the damage caused. According to the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, Article 7.19 for unauthorized connection to power grids is punishable by a fine of up to 15,000 rubles for individuals, up to 80,000 rubles for officials, up to 200,000 rubles for legal entities.

If the damage to the unauthorized use of electricity exceeds the amount of 250 thousand rubles, then in addition to administrative liability, he faces criminal liability.

Articles provide:

Usually the court makes a decision on the recovery of compensation if the crime was committed by a private person. The use of harsh punishment in the form of imprisonment is applied on a fairly large scale and is classified according to the following criteria: a crime is committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy or by an organized group.

If the fact of violation is established, then the culprit is threatened to pay a fine of up to 300 thousand rubles, either in the amount of wages or other income.

Criminal and administrative sanctions do not exclude the emergence of civil liability. It consists in the obligation to compensate for the harm suffered by the network company. You will have to pay for the energy used. Compensation for non-pecuniary damage, in the event that the consumer admits the violations discussed above, is not taken into account.

If a criminal has a desire to take a risk, he wants to save stolen kilowatts, then he will pay for the violation. First of all, he faces an investigation and procedure in court, as well as not only the payment of the principal debt, but also payment for the services of a legal adviser in this case.

They can turn off the light before the announcement of the court order and payment of the fine for theft of energy resources. In case of proof of theft, the fine is determined by the court from the maximum potential use, which is available in the production of electrical appliances for the period of detection of differences in the readings of the joint meter on the power transmission line and the joint readings of the customers' electricity meters.

Devices on which you can illegally save on energy

There are many fraudulent methods described on the Internet with a description of various devices and a connection diagram. There are devices on sale that allow you to legally save on consumed energy. Sometimes these devices do not work in any way and cost a lot of money. Clandestine craftsmen inform buyers that their appliances are designed to steal electricity.

The circuit provides for the selection of current, which is reproduced by powerful thyristors and monitors the oscillations of the sinusoid of the network. Capacitors are charged with current, then it is sent back to the network and formed by a sinusoidal voltage generator that powers the switched on electrical appliances. This method will help slow down the action of the electricity meter.

Such an inconspicuous-looking method of fraud has a drawback - radio interference, which emit pulses for a short time. This interference can be very noticeable that for electricians with special devices, distortions will be noticed within the boundaries of the transformer substation network.

In what cases the electricity is turned off:

The resource supply agreement was terminated by agreement of the parties.
The client has violated the contract.
There was a debt for non-payment of electricity.
Unauthorized connection to the network.
Consumption is carried out without consideration.
Late payment.

Partial shutdown is assumed if industrial means are installed that limit energy consumption. In this case, the supplier is obliged to notify the client at least 15 calendar days before the restriction is set.

When the buyer has accumulated debt for 3 billing periods, the supplier is obliged to notify the buyer 15 days in advance. The invoice for payment must be paid on time.

Particular attention was paid to the situation when their own neighbors were suspected of fraud. What to do and how to motivate people to answer for their actions - this is the question that specialists are most asked when discussing this unpleasant topic. To resist such theft, there are special layouts, with singularities and subtleties.

Before contacting suppliers, professionals recommend that you first try to talk with neighbors about checking events. Another thing is when a citizen decides to call an electrician who examines the place of inclusion and notices a precedent of fraud.

The following actions will need to be taken:

write an appeal to the management company with wishes;
after the arrival of the representative of the energy company, together with him, sign an act of theft, and also record eyewitness statements. It is necessary to ask all involved persons to sign under the drawn up act;
at the end of these manipulations, you can apply to the court and the prosecutor's office to restore the violated rights and freedoms.

If the guilty person understands the wrongness of his own actions, then he:

compensates for the damage in full after a criminal case has been initiated;
undertakes to no longer perform such actions.

In the event that the parties go to peace, then the case can be closed for reconciliation of the parties.

The law provides for the reconciliation of the parties from the victim, if there is no consent to this, the court case is conducted on a single basis. In practice, the supplier usually meets the consumers halfway if the debts are returned and there is no objection to the termination of the criminal case by other persons.

Now the Duma of the Russian Federation is considering a bill that proposes to toughen the sanction for the waste of light energy. This plan involves limiting the will of a person for six years. If the law on theft of electricity is adopted, then for committing a crime, the culprit faces a large fine of up to 500 thousand or forced labor.

Wanting to save money, people are rich in all sorts of inventions. These methods can be legal and well-founded financial situation, or they can be just theft.

If you think that the neighbors are stealing electricity, it will not be difficult to catch them in this.

Before you make sure that the neighbors are increasing your light bill and do something, you should check the fact of theft, and preferably by all means.

There are several ways:

Checking the integrity of the seals on the meter;
Checking for extra or missing wires;
Detection of extra wires bypassing the metering device;
Switching off on the dashboard and checking the light in the apartment;
Checking the voltage at the sockets;
Checking the voltage on batteries and heating pipes;
Turning off all appliances in the house.

Not all of these methods may be available for execution, since pipes will have to be checked not only in their apartment, but also at neighbors.

And this is their private territory, where neighbors have the right not to let anyone in. Let's take a closer look at the methods of theft and what to do to detect them in an apartment building.

Definition by wire

There are more and more ways to steal electricity every day, even transformer boxes and new meters are exposed to the activities of crooks. Before you sort things out with your neighbors, you should check all possible options and act strictly in accordance with the law.

The first thing to do is inspect the meter on site.

In short: two wires go to the meter and two wires go from it, like a load on an apartment. The first two are input. These two wires are phase and zero. At the input, the phase always goes first, and zero - the third among the wires on the meter. At the exit - phase two, zero fourth. To steal electricity, it is enough to swap the phase and zero on a single-phase meter.

Another piece of evidence in your favor is the absence of seals or a violation of their integrity. The readings from the meter are considered reliable only if the seals on the device are intact.

Finally, pay attention to the wiring. Any additional wires on the apartment meter or any wiring bypassing the metering device is a clear theft of electricity.

Disconnection on the dashboard

If you think that your neighbors are stealing your electricity, you can carry out the following simple manipulations. In the dashboard, turn off the automatic switches and stock up with a voltage measuring device.

In the apartment, turn on the lights everywhere and check if there is voltage in the sockets. If, with the switches turned off, a lamp in your house is on or there is voltage in the outlet, then there is clearly an electricity thief in your house.

The trick of this theft method is that old houses have common wall sockets. In other words, if your room is adjacent to the room where the neighbor lives and there is an outlet in the wall, electricity is supplied to both you and him. He could simply connect a wire to such an outlet and consume electricity, the bill for which comes to you.

You can calculate the thief consuming electricity in this way by checking the sockets and junction boxes - there should be no extra wires and connections. And if there are still excess wires, it is not difficult to determine which apartment they lead to.

In addition, cunning neighbors can not only connect the wire, but also install hidden sockets. They are usually inconspicuous at first glance because they are mounted behind washing machines, stoves and refrigerators.

Another thing is that they are not on the wiring diagram and the wires going to them are superfluous on junction boxes or sockets.

Grounding check

The change of zero and phase can occur in another way. The phase is connected to zero, and the zero itself is disconnected and connected to ground. The counter stops spinning.

But this method is quite secretive, since having sensed a check in the house, the thief can return zero to the counter by disconnecting it from the ground. Then the counter starts spinning again and, according to its readings, it is difficult to check anything.

Another thing is that the meter in an apartment building must be sealed, and if the seal is preserved, the thief will not be able to carry out such a scheme.

Grounding manipulations can be carried out in another way. Increasingly, professional electricians working with management companies notice that electricity is being unwound through the battery riser.

The thief simply strips a small section of the battery so that no paint remains on the surface and connects the ground to the riser.

Such manipulations will not be reflected on your meter in any way, but there is another way of checking - checking the voltage on the battery. For this, a device or just an indicator screwdriver is enough. If there is voltage across the battery, and the objects or the batteries themselves are electrocuted, the thief should be caught immediately.

To do this, talk to neighbors on the floor above or below you. Ask to show the batteries - the cleaned area is visible immediately. You have the right to worry not only for your money, but also for your safety - electric shock in such cases, theft is very common.

other methods

In the private sectors, there are quite common electricity theft schemes involving wires. The wires from the house are simply snapped onto the wires of the pole. This immediately catches the eye, although it is difficult to prove the fact of theft if the owner of the house removes the wires before checking and connects them to the meter.

In addition, try to turn off absolutely all appliances and lights at home, preferably from electrical outlets. If the counter wheel continues to spin, electricity is likely to be rewound. But the self-propelled counter can also become the reason, so here it is impossible to name the reason unambiguously without qualified help.

Only people who understand electrical wiring can use the professional method of unwinding. The fact is that the counter is nothing more than an electric motor. With a correctly installed transformer, the counter wheel can be made to turn both backward and forward.

Usually, for this, the meter is first re-phased, swapping the phase and zero, then the transformer is connected to the outlet, which acts as an isolator. Then, again swapping the zero and phase on the transformer, you can make sure that the counter wheel has gone in the opposite direction.

To catch a thief in such a theft will require an inspection of an apartment or storage room - any available to the suspect. Usually such transformers are disguised as old boxes, but it is not difficult to find them, if, of course, there is such a possibility.

Theft depending on the counters

Considering the meter models, it is also possible to organize the theft process with minimal traces. Thus, it is almost impossible to catch a thief, but this time the connection does not go to the neighbors, the device simply stops working.

The old model of a three-phase meter was easily unwound with the indicated transformer. Having three inputs and three wires at the output, any phase was chosen, for example, phase A. Then voltage up to 6 volts was applied to the input and output terminals of phase A and the counter wheel began to move. And by changing the wires in places, the wheel changed the course to the opposite one.

But today, these manipulations are not available, for several reasons. These three-phase models are practically not in use or on sale. And where they are still used, seals are placed, which make it impossible to connect and reverse phases.

But consumers, wanting to save money, found a way out of this situation. A popular method is the application of neodymium magnets. The constant magnetic field of the alloy disrupts the operation of the counter motor, and this applies to both single-phase and three-phase models. Such magnets are simply placed on top of the counter, and you can buy them everywhere, even on the Internet.

Installation of modern electricity metering devices also does not protect against electricity theft. Models of the new model, such as НIК 2102-02 or Rostock, despite the past certifications, react to any external magnetic field instantly. The new models do not have magnetic protection.

How to fight

First of all, make sure that the fact of theft is actually present. Having found it, talk to the tenants of the house. It often happens that convicted neighbors, sensing that their manipulations have been revealed, stop stealing light. That being said, you may not even know who it was.

Ask them to show the pipes, carry out connection checks in their apartments too. In any case, bona fide neighbors will be interested in the theft not touching them and will contribute to your actions.

Where to go if similar methods did not work:

Draw up an application to the management company;
Write an application to the energy sales company;
Draw up an act with an electrician checking the fact of theft;
They go to the prosecutor's office or court.

The application to the management company is drawn up in a free form. Outline the verification procedures performed and attach meter readings.

It is good if you list the devices you use, indicating their energy consumption and make a comparison with the readings that your meter shows. The same statement is drawn up in power sales.

The management company must appoint an electrician to come to check the theft. The specialist draws up an act, supplements it with photographic materials (if possible). It is advisable to draw up an act in the presence of other residents of the house with the collection of their signatures.

Common questions

What if the neighbor won't open the electrician's door? The specialist will draw up an act stating that he was not admitted to private property for verification and the case is sent to court.
What to do if, during the check, a neighbor erases all the evidence of theft? In some cases of theft, it is not possible to be caught red-handed. For this case, electricians have devices "Stork" or "Search", with the help of which you can find out where the electricity goes at any time. After that, an act is drawn up based on the results of the operation of the devices.
Where to go if the act is drawn up, and the theft does not stop? In this case, you should submit an application to the court by attaching an act of testimony of residents and photographic materials (if any).

What threatens an intruder for stealing light

By a court decision, a measure of punishment will be assigned, depending on who the convicted person is and what the amount of theft is. Individuals will be fined up to 4 thousand rubles. Officials will pay up to 8 thousand rubles for such machinations. If the theft was committed by a legal entity, the amount of the fine can reach 80 thousand rubles.

In addition, the culprit undertakes to pay the cost of all stolen electricity. If the cost of the stolen light is more than 250 thousand rubles, the culprit may be sentenced to criminal liability.

In some cases, when the thefts were really large or too long, the culprit was obliged to install new metering devices and wiring at his own expense, if they were damaged during the kidnapping.

Homeowners whose electricity was consumed illegally have the right to demand moral compensation. Especially when it comes to grounding through heating risers, since this type of theft threatened their health and life.

Conclusion

Theft of electricity can be carried out both from private property and from general house meters. In the second case, it is easier to verify the fact of theft. In the case of connection from an apartment, the possibilities of verification are limited, since admission to the private territory of a suspect's apartment may be prohibited.

In case the neighbor does not want to go peacefully, they turn to the management company, which must provide an electrician. If the suspect refuses to allow the electrician to be examined, the case goes to court.

According to the court's decision, if there is evidence, the culprit may be sentenced to a fine and an obligation to repair metering devices in the house, and in especially large thefts - criminal liability.

The rise in energy tariffs is one of the striking features of the deepening economic crisis. In this context, electricity theft and issues related to its detection take on paramount importance.

Methods for detecting electricity theft using ASKUE and combating them, based on the systematic control of each metering point via the Internet, are the most advanced and effective today.

Theft of electricity in an apartment building

There are many ways to steal electricity. Knowing them "by sight" and having a clear idea of the nuances of their execution, you can clearly imagine how to detect the theft of electricity.

The main "schemes" that allow unscrupulous owners to significantly reduce costs or not pay for electricity at all include:

The zero wire from the circuit in which the electricity meter is included is functionally replaced by grounded building structures, such as water supply, fittings, etc.
Installation of a separate line connected to a branch in front of the meter, in order to exclude its circuits.
Replacing "zero" and "phase" in places in front of the counter, which forces the meter to work "in the opposite direction."
The use of all kinds of devices and devices in order to make the counter, again, work "in the opposite direction."
The use of high-power magnets, so that, acting on the meter mechanism, slow down or completely stop the metering of electricity.
Mechanical influences, especially relevant for the still used disk counters in some places. For example, in the body of the device, in an inconspicuous place, at the level of the rotating disc, an inconspicuous hole is drilled into which a match is inserted, slowing down or stopping the operation of the counting device.

Theft of electricity in SNT

To answer the question of how to deal with the theft of electricity in SNT, it is necessary to clarify the main features of electricity consumption in garden non-profit partnerships.

The owner of the site is at the same time the owner of the electrical networks passing through its territory. This greatly facilitates his own access to switchgears and lines to metering devices, but, as a result, makes it difficult for regulatory authorities to access them. Therefore, the access of the controller of the energy supplying organization to the owner's metering devices is negotiated separately in the power supply contract. Failure to provide access may result in power outages.

But how can a representative of a gardening partnership check an electricity meter for theft? If special measures are not defined in the charter of the partnership, then it is very difficult to carry out an inspection, which is what dishonest gardeners use.

Neighbors have to pay for unscrupulous owners, since unaccounted electricity, the so-called “imbalance”, has to be thrown at all owners in order to cover the difference between the electricity counted by the energy supplying organization's meter on the line outgoing towards the partnership and the amount of local metering costs.

The main energy-consuming load in the conditions of the village is electric heating and electricity consumption when performing repair and construction work (welding, concrete mixer, etc.). The methods of theft are the same as in apartment buildings, but especially in the course of "throwing" collector bars with hooks on the overhead line in front of the meter.

Electricity theft fine in 2016

The measures taken against theft of electricity in 2016 involve a system of fines and even criminal liability.

Unauthorized connection to energy networks, oil pipelines, oil product pipelines and gas pipelines, as well as unauthorized (unaccounted for) use of electric, thermal energy, oil, gas or oil products - entails the imposition of an administrative fine on citizens in the amount of three thousand to four thousand rubles; for officials - from six thousand to eight thousand rubles; for legal entities - from sixty thousand to eighty thousand rubles. Article 7.19 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation

If material damage is inflicted on an especially large scale, it is possible to bring to criminal liability in accordance with Article 165 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Causing property damage to the owner or other owner of property by deception or abuse of trust in the absence of signs of theft, committed on a large scale, - shall be punishable by a fine in the amount of up to three hundred thousand rubles or in the amount of the wages or salary or other income of the convicted person for a period of up to two years, or by forced labor for a term of up to two years with or without restraint of liberty for a term of up to one year, or imprisonment for a term of up to two years with a fine of up to eighty thousand rubles or in the amount of the convict's salary or other income for a period of up to six months or without it and with or without restraint of liberty for up to one year. Article 165 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation

How to detect electricity theft

To understand how to detect theft of electricity, you need to start from the fact that theft of electricity can be identified by direct and indirect evidence. Instant control in comparison with real facts can act as direct evidence, and an imbalance in the electricity readings of the general meter and the summed readings of all individual consumers as indirect evidence.

Electricity theft detection methods

Measures taken against theft of electricity are inextricably linked to the determination of the fact of theft of electricity and its suppression. Considering all the variety of methods that dishonest consumers use to steal electricity, methods for detecting electricity theft can be divided into analytical and practical. Analytical (indirect) methods include the following:

Systematic reconciliation of the readings of general meters by directions, groups of consumers and loads with the total of individual consumers;
Revealing almost the same low readings from month to month - perhaps the consumer is stealing electricity, knowingly determining for himself the amount that he will pay;
When using the technology of remote collection of ASKUE readings, the identification of discrepancies between the quantitative characteristics of the load and external factors. For example, there is no electricity consumption by the metering device, and the owner's site is intensively illuminated.
Revealing discrepancies of the tested load with current collector clamps or a multimeter to external factors. For example, a large load is fixed with current collector clamps, and the meter readings do not change.

Practical methods include:

Checking the connection diagram of metering devices;
Load control on common building lines and public lines - unauthorized connection of dishonest consumers to them is possible with a corresponding sharp increase in load;
Visual control of metering devices and lines suitable for them to exclude bypass power supply lines, mutual replacement of a phase wire with zero and mechanical braking or stopping metering devices;
When visually inspecting the consumer's premises, pay attention to the presence of dimensional electrical equipment, transformers, tie rods with hooks for throwing on overhead lines, additional grounding lines, as well as the state of the sockets (when the ground is connected to the zero wiring through the outlet, one of the holes is larger than the other).

The listed measures will help to identify and prove the theft of electricity in general.

Methods for detecting electricity theft using ASKUE

Considering that in Russia electricity is purchased not as a product, but as a service, its theft is not directly considered a criminal offense. Theft of electricity, as much as it does not discourage those who pay for the offenses of others, still falls under the category of administrative offenses. And it is very difficult to prove this theft so that the fine for theft of electricity becomes a real deterrent.

The turning point in this confusing issue was the use of automated systems for commercial metering of electricity - ASKUE, with the help of which, to the question of how to prove the theft of electricity, it became possible to provide not one, but several adequate answers at once.

ASKUE provides, first of all, unlimited possibilities to control the balance of received and consumed electricity. Add to this the ability to remotely access data and automate the collection of information, and you have the notorious three pillars on which the solution of problems associated with theft of electricity is based.

The use of external remote power sensors installed at the very beginning of the line outgoing towards the consumer in a set with meters equipped with built-in radio modules, allows you to compare the power readings of the meter and directly in the line.

As a result, for accurate control of electricity consumption, you need to enter your personal account on the site, click on two buttons and compare the readings. If the meter shows less power consumption compared to the data from an external sensor, then the fact of theft of electricity is obvious.

The use of such a system solves the issue of access to the owner's territory - it is simply not needed. All data can be obtained remotely. In this case, the owner himself is responsible for the safety of the equipment installed on the territory.

Fight against electricity theft

Knowing how to detect theft of electricity in apartment buildings and garden associations, it becomes easier to imagine what measures should be taken to combat theft.

Anti-theft methods

Effective fight against theft of electricity is based on two main components: systematic control and timeliness of theft detection... Let's consider the simplest ways to combat theft.

Regular bypass of the route, allowing for visual control of connections and meter readings. However, the involvement of crawlers is fraught with a human factor - an employee may not notice the bypass additional line or mistakenly underestimate the electricity consumption during removal. These risks can be eliminated by using remote meter reading systems.
Sealing of meters with conventional or magnetic seals. Unfortunately, practice shows that this technique can be smashed to smithereens just like the counter itself. The owner breaks the meter with all its seals, consumes unlimited amounts of electricity until the inspector arrives, and then claims that until the last moment everything was fine with the meter. When controlling the power directly at the input with the data archive, such manipulations with the meter become useless.
Control of the meter connection diagram for compliance with "phase-zero" at the input, as well as the search for powerful transformers and other devices that make the meter count "to the other side". However, with the possibility of instantaneous metering of the consumed power, together with its active and reactive components, direct control becomes unnecessary.

Fight against theft of electricity using ASKUE

The energy efficiency of the remote data collection technology is determined by several basic components, namely, the presence of a sufficiently large range, the cheapest dispatching, the simplicity of building a network architecture with the ability to easily connect new devices and, of course, reliability and noise immunity.

Meters with a built-in radio module will accurately and timely transmit data from each electricity metering point. And if you have old-style meters, it is possible to install an external modem that will transmit readings directly to the base station - without wires or concentrators. Using a user-friendly interface, the management company will be able to control the readings for each metering point and, in general, for the connection.

The question of how to prove the theft of electricity disappears by itself due to the presence of a database, which reflects the volumes of consumed electricity both as a whole for connection and separately for each consumer. If necessary, you can use data from external sensors installed on the branches to consumers.

The cornerstone in the fight against the plunderers of public and private energy resources is that when using AMR, it is quite transparently possible to determine how much electricity was received from the network to supply an apartment building or a gardening partnership, and in which directions or owners it was distributed.

Thanks to the automation of the collection of readings, there is no possibility of underestimating electricity or hiding part of the consumed power by preventing a representative of the management company from accessing the meter from the owner.

Control over each metering point via the Internet

The possibility of permanent remote control over power consumption is provided by the "STRIZH" web interface. With the help of a personal account, representatives of the management company can online monitor the distribution of the received power and control its consumption with the possibility of remote shutdown.

Electricity theft prevention

In the modern world of high technologies and 4G Internet networks, there is no doubt about the effectiveness and economic feasibility of using remote control systems to combat the theft of electricity and its economical use.

By installing the STRIZH equipment, the management company is able to accurately monitor and account for consumed energy resources, complete with simple and convenient access to the database.

Eliminate electricity theft
with the help of ASKUE!

Continuing the article.

In accordance with the contract for the supply of electricity, citizens are obliged to pay a monthly fee for the supply of the resource. Unscrupulous consumers use illegal methods of connecting to someone else's network, twisting meter readings and other theft methods in order not to pay for electricity.

Unauthorized connection to networks entails administrative and criminal liability. You will learn about the methods of theft of electricity and measures to combat this phenomenon from our article.

Where do they usually steal?

Most of the cases of theft of electricity occur in horticultural associations. This happens less often in apartment buildings.

Most often, such violations are committed by debtors who were turned off the light for non-payment. In order to use electricity, they unauthorizedly restore the supply and continue not to pay their bills.

Theft of electricity in SNT

The problem of unauthorized receipt of electricity worries every owner of a summer cottage, since all other members of the gardening partnership have to pay for unscrupulous users. This is due to the fact that the contract for the supply of the resource is concluded with SNT, and not with each owner of the country house separately, therefore the invoice is issued general.

In this case, the counters, as a rule, are located inside the site. Owners can use various methods of stealing electricity with impunity and prevent inspectors from the SNT board from entering their territory.

Theft and detection methods

It is difficult to list all the schemes for theft of electricity, since offenders constantly come up with new ones, as well as improve old ones.

The main methods used by cybercriminals include:

counter operation in the opposite direction. This effect is achieved by replacing the phase and zero in front of the meter;
the use of strong magnets leads to a slowdown or complete termination of the counter;
creation of a separate line with a branch in front of the electricity meter;
replacement of the neutral wire from the circuit in which the meter is included with grounded structures of the structure (for example, fittings).

The fact of theft of electricity can be established in different ways:

identification of the same low indicators in individual consumers every month for a long period;
reconciliation of the indicators of the general meter with the total indicators of individual consumers;
revealing the discrepancy between the load according to the readings of metering devices and the actual one, determined when checking with a current collector or a multimeter;
load control on public and building lines;
visual inspection of electrical networks. For example, the presence of additional ground lines.

Note!

If you suspect that neighbors have illegally connected to your metering device, and you pay for their electricity, turn off all devices, check the voltage in all outlets and turn on the light. If a light comes on somewhere, it means that the neighbor is using your electricity. This method is suitable for old panel houses, since the sockets in them were installed in a through hole between adjacent rooms.

There are 2 more ways to find out about an illegal connection:

if the meter is located in the entrance, check the integrity of the seal and for the presence of additional wires. If you find "extra" wires bypassing the meter, then the neighbors are stealing the resource;
turn off the machines and look at the device. If he continues to wind off kilowatts, then someone has connected to you.

How to fight?

If you notice that your electricity is being stolen, we recommend that you first speak directly with the neighbor you suspect. During the conversation, it should be explained that if the incident repeats, you will be forced to apply to law enforcement agencies with a statement to bring him to administrative responsibility.

In practice, it is not realistic to reimburse the losses already incurred. Since, when detecting theft, unscrupulous citizens refer to the fact that the illegal connection was made by the previous owners of the apartment or by an electrician during the repair.

Methods for suppressing violations in SNT:

conducting frequent unscheduled inspections.

The disadvantage of this method is that the owners of summer cottages often simply do not allow representatives of the board to enter the territory of the site to check the meter;

the output of meters from the plots to the pylons of power lines, which are in plain sight.

The disadvantage of this method is that, being under the influence of atmospheric phenomena - rain, snow, the meters quickly fail, and summer residents have to change them at their own expense.

Where to contact?

In order to punish the offender, you should write a statement to the power supply company with a request to conduct an unscheduled check. The document needs to describe in detail the situation that caused the request. It is submitted in person or by registered mail with notification. In case of personal submission, prepare 2 copies and ask them to put a receipt on yours.

On the application, a check is carried out, the answer is given within 30 days. When working on the appeal, the company's employees check the fact of theft of electricity. We recommend that you stay at home at this time and record the presence of a connection with a photo or video.

After receiving an answer, you can contact the police or the prosecutor's office with a statement, attaching a response from the power supply company.

Qualifying attributes

If, as a result of unauthorized connection to the power source, damage was caused on a large or especially large scale, or the connection was carried out by an organized group by prior agreement, then the attacker will not be able to “get off” with a small administrative fine. If there are qualifying signs in the composition of a criminal act, the perpetrators will face criminal liability.

Note!

Large damage is more than 250,000 rubles, especially large - 1,000,000 rubles.

Delimitation from related crimes

The main difference between unauthorized connection to networks and various forms of theft - theft, fraud, robbery and robbery - is that the offender does not confiscate or appropriate someone else's property on a gratuitous basis.

What punishment and liability are provided for?

In accordance with Art. 7.19 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation, unauthorized connection and use of electricity in the absence of signs of a criminal offense in the composition of a criminal act shall entail the imposition of a fine:

RUB 10,000-15,000 for individuals;
30,000-80000 rubles for officials;
100,000-200,000 rubles for legal entities.

In relation to officials, instead of a fine, another type of punishment can be chosen - disqualification for a period of 1 to 2 years.

In the event of damage on a large or especially large scale, as well as in the case of theft of electricity by an organized group, the legislation of the Russian Federation provides for criminal liability.

In accordance with Part 1 of Art. 165 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for causing major damage by deception without signs of theft, including by unauthorized connection to the power grid, the perpetrator faces punishment in the form of:

a fine of up to RUB 300,000;
forced labor up to 2 years;

Restriction of freedom for up to 1 year or without it may be imposed as an additional sanction.

The maximum punishment is 2 years in prison with a fine of up to 80 thousand and restriction of liberty for up to a year. Whether or not to impose additional punishment, the court decides each time on an individual basis, depending on the specific circumstances of the case.

If the crime was committed by an organized group, or damage was caused on an especially large scale, then the judge shall impose a sanction in the form of:

forced labor for up to 5 years with restriction of freedom up to 2 years;
imprisonment for up to 5 years with a fine of up to 80 thousand and restriction of liberty for up to 2 years.