Hotline of power engineering specialists:
Employees of IDGC of Centre - Smolenskenergo division in 2017 carried out a number of measures to prevent non-metered and non-contractual electricity consumption. Among them there were targeted raids, during which the verification of metering devices installed by legal entities and persons equal to them is carried out.
In the course of the inspections, specialists discovered facts of theft of electricity by 714 physical and 98 legal entities. This amounted to more than 8.8 million kWh or 25 million rubles. The most common methods of stealing in the territory of the Smolensk region in 2017 was the connection of the load bypassing the meter and interference in the operation of metering devices in order to distort the results of measurements.
During the raids the power engineers drew up acts of violations, according to which consumers must compensate the damage caused to the energy company. The money must be paid within the statutory time limits, otherwise the branch will be forced to collect them forcibly in court. More stringent, but legal measures are applied to the worst offenders - power disconnection, administrative or even criminal liability.
The actions of the violators not only can damage their health and pose a threat to life, but also lead to power failures of good consumers, a decrease in the quality of electricity, an increase in the probability of failure of household appliances. As a result of illegal connections, power equipment may be damaged, which leads to interruptions in power supply, unplanned repairs and investments of additional funds that could be used to develop and modernize power grid facilities. At the same time, it is worth remembering that unpaid electricity is the underfunding of the energy company’s production programs, on the successful implementation of which the reliable uninterrupted operation of the entire energy system of the region depends. In this regard, specialists of Smolenskenergo refer with a request to conscientious consumers to report all facts of illegal connections by calling the "direct line" of power engineers of IDGC of Centre - 8 800 50 50 115 (free of charge).
