A recent Guardian article draws attention to the concerning rise of energy theft and its repercussions on honest billpayers.
Energy theft is a growing problem and our UKRPA Vice-Chairperson, Gavin Straughan, reminds us that “The cost of unidentified theft is borne by all. As energy theft increases, so will each and every honest billpayer’s cost.”
An estimated £1.5 billion of gas and electricity is stolen every year, adding around £50 to household bills. An increasing concern is the rise of theft by organised criminal gangs to power marijuana farms or the servers behind illegal bitcoin mining. As a result, there are higher energy bills for all of us and our communities are put in danger.
“No matter what the reason behind energy theft is, it is a criminal act”, Gavin adds. Energy theft can be catastrophic, and people lose their lives every year due to tampering with an electricity or gas meter. In 2022, a toddler was killed by a gas explosion caused by meter tampering. The suspect was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He had caused the gas explosion by cutting a gas pipe and tampering with the gas meter to steal gas. That is why energy companies are working hard to track, detect and investigate suspected energy theft to save lives.
Read the full article here.