Is my neighbour using my electricity?

ColininNL · Jul 27, 2023

Hi everyone!

Im not an electrician but just a guy looking for a possible answer before I call my electricity supplier.

Every month without fail I use on average around 100 units of electricity and less in the summer. 1 month ago I noticed I had used 220 units of electricity and this month it went 380 units of electricity. I never change my habits and in fact spend most of time at my partners house or at work and only ever leave my fridge on when Im not here.

This morning I shut my electricity off completely with the main isolator switch and when I got back tonight after a a 12 hour period I had seemingly used 4 units of electricity! (at this rate Id be 240 units a month and thats with my electricity turned off)

There are only 2 possibilities here. Either my digital meter has went bad (its 15 years old) or my downstairs neighbour has tapped into my electricity supply.

I live in a standalone 15 year old property that has me on the upstairs and him downstairs. He's an Hungarian joiner tradesman and has all other tradesman coming and going from his property all the time and has extensively renovated his property.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Colin.

James · Jul 27, 2023

Can you post a picture of the meter and everything around it?

Pawel505 · Jul 27, 2023

ColininNL said:
Hi everyone!

Im not an electrician but just a guy looking for a possible answer before I call my electricity supplier.

Every month without fail I use on average around 100 units of electricity and less in the summer. 1 month ago I noticed I had used 220 units of electricity and this month it went 380 units of electricity. I never change my habits and in fact spend most of time at my partners house or at work and only ever leave my fridge on when Im not here.

This morning I shut my electricity off completely with the main isolator switch and when I got back tonight after a a 12 hour period I had seemingly used 4 units of electricity! (at this rate Id be 240 units a month and thats with my electricity turned off)

There are only 2 possibilities here. Either my digital meter has went bad (its 15 years old) or my downstairs neighbour has tapped into my electricity supply.

I live in a standalone 15 year old property that has me on the upstairs and him downstairs. He's an Hungarian joiner tradesman and has all other tradesman coming and going from his property all the time and has extensively renovated his property.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Colin.

Hi Colin, yes it is possible that he's using your electricity - if e.g. your sockets wiring runs between your floor and his ceilling, then he could cut the cable and spur it of the cable supplying your sockets, BUT. He would have to cut live cable what means it would go BANG in your Consumer unit and his cutters would turn in to figure of 8( very high fault current). It would be very unlikely that he's done that but I have come accross something like this in social housing years ago... but that was done through the loft.
Check your meter with supplier before you start banging on his doors with an axe

ColininNL · Jul 28, 2023

James said:
Can you post a picture of the meter and everything around it?

Yes I can. Thanks.

ColininNL · Jul 28, 2023

Pawel505 said:
Hi Colin, yes it is possible that he's using your electricity - if e.g. your sockets wiring runs between your floor and his ceilling, then he could cut the cable and spur it of the cable supplying your sockets, BUT. He would have to cut live cable what means it would go BANG in your Consumer unit and his cutters would turn in to figure of 8( very high fault current). It would be very unlikely that he's done that but I have come accross something like this in social housing years ago... but that was done through the loft.
Check your meter with supplier before you start banging on his doors with an axe

Thank you Pawel for your reply. My partner wanted me to confront him but Id never do that without any proof.

Rockingit · Jul 28, 2023

Next time you want to run the experiment, turn off your whole system by using that isolator (the one with the on/off written in pen in the pic). If your meter still climbs then you have a faulty meter - otherwise it's likely that you'll need an electrician to run some tests to see if you have a downstream circuit that's been tapped in to. If it has, then it's an offence under the Theft Act 1964 (Abstraction of electricity) so report it to the Police.

rewireIT · Jul 28, 2023

Out of interest - what fault caused the warning tag to be put there by British Gas?

Paul L · Jul 28, 2023

Thinking about it logically if you turned off your electric supply at that main isolator it would be almost guaranteed to switch off all of your internal wiring unless you have another unseen supply. So even if someone had tapped in somehow then it should not be able to be used. My money would be on a faulty meter but who knows these days.

loz2754 · Jul 28, 2023

rewireIT said:
Out of interest - what fault caused the warning tag to be put there by British Gas?

It says on it "water PEB". Which I suggest means there is no water protective earth bonding.

rewireIT · Jul 28, 2023

loz2754 said:
It says on it "water PEB". Which I suggest means there is no water protective earth bonding.

So that's what that says, impressed you could read it!

7029 dave · Jul 28, 2023

You done right shutting down the supply and advanced 4 units sounds like faulty meter.
Contact your supplier and tell them what you did etc, they should visit site and do a load bank test or fit a check meter in series with your supply meter.
The second option is more accurate.

Diddy · Jul 28, 2023

If you shut off from that isolator then there would be zero electricity going anywhere in the installation. Even if the neighbour had tapped off a circuit his would go off when yours did. I would be surprised and subtly impressed if anyone could spur off that double pole isolator without breaking the thing/being noticeable so that simply leaves a faulty meter.
as stated above email and call them and tell them the steps you have taken and what the issue is - usage has shot up without explanation. They should fit a second meter and leave it running for a week or more and then come back and check between the two for discrepancies. Most energy suppliers are falling over themselves to install smart meters anyway so they shouldn't hang around/keep you waiting too long.