Half my electricity was free for 11 years.

[pudding]

I just had a new electrical panel installed.

I'd always thought the electricity was cheap in this house as it's all electric, no gas and 7 of us live in it, in the north.

I did some digging around in the ceiling and wall a couple of years ago and sure enough at some point in time, likely about 30 years ago, somehow someone had spliced a cable in above the meter and run it to a 2nd panel that bypassed the electricity meter.

I've been checking my usage online since then and it's about 130% increase in usage! 

POW!  that's going to be a kick in the nuts when winter rolls around.

[Syonyk]

Bragging about theft of electrical service on a public forum seems... unwise.  Even if you weren't the one who set it up.

[six-car-habit]

I'm not sure it was meant as a brag - More of an... " oh, that explains it"

Good thing you found it versus the electric company , i have heard stories of the utility backbilling in cases like this.

We have a fellow at work who brags about his home being wired like this, supposedly by his friend years ago, and his "low costs" consequently.

My meter is 30 feet outside the house on a post, way before it gets to the main panel in the house.

[pudding]

I'm not sure it was meant as a brag - More of an... " oh, that explains it"

Good thing you found it versus the electric company , i have heard stories of the utility backbilling in cases like this.

We have a fellow at work who brags about his home being wired like this, supposedly by his friend years ago, and his "low costs" consequently.

My meter is 30 feet outside the house on a post, way before it gets to the main panel in the house.

Thats where my meter is now, on a utility poll out in the garden since I had the new panel installed.

I'm not sure if it's theft if you weren't the one who set it up and bought the house with it already in place and lived unaware that it was there. Although I wouldn't want to have had to argue that one with the electric company.

My neighbour lived next door since the 70s told me bikers used to own this house. Figures.