Power Meter in CT Can

I think if he can prove he didn't know, the power company has to find the real culprit? Did you find out how it was >prepared< ?

That is too vague and confusing to sort out easily. A house with many 3-phase meters?? A marijuana greenhouse maybe, but a regular house?

Exactly what was allegedly bypassed, shorted, grounded, disconnected, etc.?

How is the "fine investigation setup" different (in detail) from the "take"?

If the power company knows or suspects tampering by the prior owner, why do they suspect the new owner? Of course, the new owner might have unintentionally been benefiting from undercharges. In that case, he/she should pay for the electricity he/she has actually used. Is the power company charging him/her for theft, or charging him/her correctly for the mismetered energy?

It would be interesting to see the company's findings/version of the story.

I hope I will find out their version:

That is what the discussion will be about this week and I like to be somewhat prepared. The house was a single phase 400 Amp connection (120 N 120 Volts AC).

The business a High Voltage client with 3 200KVA transformers (7kV to 208 Y)

Both have been sold to 2 different new owners over that time and the original ex- owner lives abroad now.

What I found was a remote control relay in the CT line and the power line of the meter. How and when the relay was triggered I don't know (yet), because the evidence was gone. Found only a cut pipe and 2 wires that were re- connected.

My neighbor told me he had no device and no idea how to manipulate the system. If this is true, probably he "took" no free power at all.

What seems strange also, is that the power company hasn't put a seal on that meter or CT can in the last 5 years, while the meter has been read each month.

Whoever was doing the tampering was at great risk. A current transformer open circuit has the potential (no pun intended) to kill someone.

Your friend was almost surely not "taking" energy intentionally. However, he/she may have been receiving energy on the cheap, owing to the tampering of the prior owner. In a just world, he/she needs to pay for the energy used, even if the correct billing comes as a surprise. If the power company wants to recover the full amount, they probably should give your friend an extended time to make up the difference. However, this will all depend on local laws.

That addressed neither the logic nor the justice of this situation. Instead, it was merely a rant at "monopolists."

What is the locale and power generating method that makes this be $0.40/kwh? I know of even higher rates, but even so, that is unusual.

Anno 1946 diesel units. Overstaffed. Competitive production for investors here is difficult.

Now this is interesting. Does "Anno 1946" refer to a manufacturer and model, or to the year 1946? (One could hope the equipment isn't that old.) Some of the villages in Alaska, where I live, face costs of $0.55/kwh or so. My town (Ketchikan) on hydro is about $0.12/kwh, but if the lake runs dry, they switch to diesel at about $0.26/kwh. I ask again, what is your locale?

Overstaffed? Does this mean that the guy who actually runs the genset(s) makes $15.00/h while various politicians make off like Bernard Madoff? If something like that is the case, it might indeed be hard for competitive investors to break in. Can you explain more about the political situation?

The year. I heard 3 pieces of some Megawatts and the 1970 types should not perform and are not in use. Has been sold to a Canadian Power company 3 years ago. pm

Usually, when a house is purchased the meter is read and the charges start then. If the meter is under reading, the power company can correct the meter, and charge back to the change of ownership. It can not charge the current owner with the prior owners criminal actions. The onus is on them to find the old owner and charge him. What they usually do is file a lien (Lis Pendens is the old term) prior to the change of ownership and this stops the house from closing and a hold is placed on part of the buyers funds so they do not go to the seller until the unpaid electricity is quantified.

If this was not done, they are out of luck. All they can do is make the new owner pay for what he has used since he took over.

They may try to over-reach themselves, but any capable lawyer will see them off