Monday Q&A: To catch a power thief

When people steal electricity, the rest of us pay for it.

Power diversion is a dirty and dangerous business, but hundreds have tried it over the years. They hope to save a few bucks by capturing electricity without a meter catching on, and the cost for their crimes is borne by honest customers.

Ed Franciosa, the Modesto Irrigation District’s assistant general manager over power transmission and distribution, oversees a team charged with catching the bad guys – ideally, before they swipe thousands of dollars of power, or blow themselves up. With improved technology and years of experience, his squad is getting better at the game, though he’s reluctant to describe techniques for fear of giving away some secrets to the crooks.

Franciosa, an electrical engineer, has worked at MID for 18 years.

Q: Why is stealing electricity a bad idea?

A: Power diversion isn’t only illegal; more importantly, it’s dangerous. It occurs when an illegal connection is made in order to bypass the MID meter at the customer’s service panel. These connections are made by people who aren’t licensed electricians. The connections aren’t up to code and aren’t safe, and these unsafe conditions could possibly result in electrical shock, fire or explosion.

When a customer chooses to divert power, typically they will not only bypass the meter but also all protection for themselves, their family and neighboring houses because they’ve gone around circuit breakers and the metal enclosure that prevents the spread of fire and explosions. Also, when we can’t charge for stolen power, costs are absorbed by all MID customers.

Q: How often does this happen?

A: In 2014, we found almost 200 power diversions in the MID service area. The estimated cost is about $500,000.

Q: Do you bill for energy that’s been stolen?

A: MID collected more than $250,000 last year. However, we aren’t always successful. We estimate that we collect money in only 50 percent to 70 percent of cases where people are caught.

Q: Are there other benefits of catching power thieves?

A: Yes, of course. Savings result from stopping lost revenue and preventing failure of equipment from illegal connections and overloads. Hopefully by catching some of the power diverters, we are able to alert and influence others who may be thinking about it.

Q: How has MID’s ability to detect power diversion changed in recent years?

A: In the past, we made many field trips to collect data from suspected sites. It was a manual process and very labor intensive. With new smart-meter technology, data is provided on a routine basis, giving MID the ability to put this data through a set of algorithms. We then narrow down the list of locations where power diversion may be taking place. It now takes much less time and labor to detect.

Q: Is power sometimes turned off without notice to the customer?

A: Once discovered, power is turned off without notice. Power diversion involves tampering and illegal connections that aren’t safe. MID’s No. 1 priority is safety, and we can’t let an unsafe condition stay energized. Also, power diversion affects everyone, so the sooner it’s stopped, the fewer losses the district and our customers incur.

Q: What are the penalties?

A: Once diversion is found, there is additional MID labor involved to correct the issue. These costs are passed to the responsible party. Fees vary depending on circumstances, but generally they’re about $1,000. Also, we estimate the cost of the diverted power and bill it to the responsible party.

Q: What’s the process for reconnecting?

A: All fees and associated energy costs must be paid. The customer then needs to bring the service up to code and to MID requirements. This may involve installing a new service panel and new conduit. Once installed, the customer needs to obtain the appropriate city, county and MID inspections. Once all the inspections are passed, they can be scheduled for service reconnection.

This story was originally published April 19, 2015 at 7:28 PM with the headline "Monday Q&A: To catch a power thief."