What is the best way to rig your electric meter in order to stop the wheel spinning round all the time?

Question

With electricity and gas prices as high as they are I think we all need to do something to cut our bills. A friend of mine has been doing it for 18 years and hardly pays anything. I just dont like the way he does it using a set of jump leads to bye pass the meter. Any other suggestions?

Answer 1

Sorry mate but you should just pay up like the rest of us.

I bet your mate is the kind who doesn't buy car insurance either, thinking he will be ok, he'll never have a crash and then promptly does and either worse case seniorio kills someone or/and put's all our premiums up because he was uninsured!!!!!

There rant over......... can you tell I have just renewed my car insurance.....lol

Answer 2

Would a very powerful magnet hold the wheel still, or at least slow it?

Answer 3

Drill a small hole in the side of the meter then stick a pin or a cocktail stick in it to stop the wheel going round. That works a treat. So I am told. LOL

Answer 4

stop using as much electric, use efficient appliances and energy saving bulbs.

doing this is illegal and if its a power company meter rather than a landlords meter it will be found out (that's how they discover so many cannabis factories by the huge electric use and low meter readings).

the other options are illegal and will get you arrested a fine and criminal record!

Answer 5

that is illegal my friend, to prison you will go.

try switching off the lights and all appliances,

and by candles.

Answer 6

Hammer a nail onto the clock...that will stop the needle going around.....or just pay up like the rest of us!

Answer 7

Is your friend still alive? why not just rip the electricity off a nearby lamppost!

Answer 8

That's dangerous and illegal just pay the bill

Answer 9

When you use a battery, there is a voltage to power the device, and current that is actually drawn by the device.  The combination of voltage and current is a measure of the power being used, in watts  And that's what costs you.  Use more current, replace the battery more often.

But with AC electricity, there is a constant varying voltage.  At a given moment, the voltage may be at maximum or at minimum.  Due to inductive influences, the current may be delayed in relationship to the voltage.  That's why it's called volt-amps, rather than watts.  You may be measuring current, but if it's at maximum when the voltage is at minimum, then there is no actual use of real power.  The phase difference is measured by electric meters as the Power Factor, which calculates true power from the apparent power usage.

To externally try to slow down the meter is about the same as trying to externally slow down a car.  A tree in the way might do the job, but there WILL be damage and evidence.  What some people do is install a large capacitor in the meter to throw the Power Factor way off so that a false reading is given.  The electric company has a readout of what you use each month, so a big change gets their attention and they check your meter to see if it's been tampered with.  People who've screwed with the meters often find themselves without power, in court, paying hefty fines or even serving a little jail time.

After reading your little missive about jump leads bypassing the meter, it makes me wonder what kind of meter readers you have over there that completely miss the open meter, broken seal, and obvious rigging around it.  In the U.S., you might as well erect neon signs pointing at it since it WILL be noticed by the power company.