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Webinar: Under Lock & Key; Theft Protection in Today's Utility Marketplace
1. Under Lock & Key: Theft
Protection in Today’s Utility
Marketplace
Scott Zajkowski - N.A. Business Development
Kevin Mays - Technical Sales Engineer
2. Agenda
I. Global Energy Theft
I. Worldwide
II. Canada
III. United States
II. Grow Houses
III. Types
IV. Problems Caused
V. Dangers
VI. Solutions
3. Energy Theft
• Electricity theft stems from…
• Illegal connections
• Unbilled consumption
• Non payment
• Electricity theft occurs on all levels:
Residential, small business, commercial and
industrial customers
• Electricity theft is independent of an
economical class
4. Energy Theft
• Major Global Concern
• Electricity theft has no boundaries
• Globally, an estimated $200 billion is
lost each year due to equipment failure
and theft
6. Global Electricity Theft
• India experiences some of the most significant
theft, where 1/3 of the power generated is lost
• Losses can reach 50% in certain areas within South
Asian, Sub-Saharan Africa and the former Soviet
Union
• Brazil energy losses reach as high as 25% in some
areas
• The UK reports around 25,000 cases of electricity
theft each year, costing customers over $300M
7. Energy Theft: Canada
• Calgary utilities estimate that 60% of
power outages are the result of some
form of electrical equipment tampering
• BC Hydro (British Columbia)
• Estimates loss around 3% of total revenue
• Identified 2,600 thefts over the past 5 years
8. Electricity Theft in U.S.
• Energy theft in
the U.S
equates to $6
billion in losses
annually,
costing utilities
1-3% of their
revenue
9. Marijuana Grow House
• Utilize sophisticated measures
and methods to steal power
• A growing problem for many
utilities across North America
• A small grow house operation
can result in a $5000/yr loss for
the electric utility.
10. G
Grow houses cost customers ~ $100 million each year according to BC Hydro
11. Energy Theft: Illegal Grow Houses
In the U.S, indoor cannabis growing uses about $5 billion
annually to power lighting and irrigation systems. Most are
illegal operations where they steal some or all their power
12. Economy Related Energy Theft
• PECO, a Philadelphia utility, stated that
approximately 30% of the 14,000 customers
whose service was disconnect in 2008 were
using electricity illegally
• In 2008, Pennsylvania Power & Light (PPL)
reported a 16% rise in energy theft, most
related to service terminations
• AEP, one of the largest utilities in the U.S.,
investigated 3196 cases of theft in Jan – Feb
2008, a 27% increase from the previous year
16. Problems Caused by Energy Theft
• Safety
• Grid Damage
• Increased Costs
• Environmental Concerns
17. The Dangers of Energy Theft
• Fire hazards to property of
perpetrators and neighbors
• Compromised safety of
residents and utility workers
• Power outages
• Equipment Failure
20. Technical Solutions to Power Theft
• Encasing meters
• Anti-theft cable
• Software (Analytics)
• End of line monitoring
21. Non-Technical Solutions for Energy Theft
• Public Outreach by offering financial rewards
to consumers who report electricity theft
• Legal Measures
• Stricter fines and jail time for offenders
• Management
• Implementing inspection after a meter was
disconnected and not reconnected
22. Stricter Regulations on Energy Theft
• 70,000 energy thefts
occur each year in
Michigan
• New Michigan Utility
Theft Law
• Increased
penalties
• Now a Felony
23. Limitations of AMI/AMR Meters
• AMI/AMR or smart meters work very well for
identifying usage on inactive meters and
preventing meter tampering
• False tamper alarms are common occurrence with
smart meters and many utilities ignore them
• Smart Meters can also be hacked which cost a
Puerto Rico utility hundreds of millions dollars in
losses.
• Many commercial customers have much larger
transformers which may result in illegal connection
away form the meter
24. End Line Monitoring + AMI/AMR
• In conjunction with smart sensors, AMI/AMR
meters data can effectively leverage to detect
and prevent energy theft
AMI/AMR Meter
VS1000
(End of Line
Monitoring)
X
TD1000
(Theft Detection)
X
X
X
X
25. Energy Theft Detection
TD1000 & TD2000
• Remote smart sensor to monitor power usage
to compare with AMI/AMR data to pinpoint
illegal or unauthorized power usage
• Compact, economical and comprehensive
solution for revenue recovery and loss
prevention
26. Energy Theft Detection
TD1000 & TD2000
TD1000/2000
• Single & Three Phase Monitoring
• Superior Accuracy
• Customizable KWh monitoring
• DNP3 Complaint
• Unsolicited Messaging & Alerts
• Magnetic Attachment
• Quick Connect CT’s
• Integrated Wireless Communication
27. Conclusion
• Energy theft will continue
to be a major concern for
all utilities unless certain
measures are taken
• Implementing Smart
Sensors to work in
conjunction with AMI/AMR
Systems to detect and
prevent further losses
28. Thank you for your time
• For further questions about today’s webinar
please contact
• Scott Zajkowski
• Email: szajkowski@ius-tech.com
• Phone: 470-514-2627
• Kevin Mays
• Email: kmays@ius-tech.com
• Phone: 470-514-2620
www.ius-tech.com
Editor's Notes
Introduce Ourselves - Who IUS TechnologiesWhere did we get the information
Point 3: Ex about people living in Mansions stealing & Slums
POINT 2:Most assume electricity theft is only prevalent in developing countries such as India and Brazil, but Costing consumers billions of dollars each year from higher rates
Middle East – Areas up to 64%Dom Rep 24-36%
Point 1: Illegal Hookups, bill fraud, non –payment Equates to $16 billion a year in lossesPoint 2:Utility is only collecting half of its revenue Point 3: To combat the problem and avoid violent encounters, utilities are turning to smart meters
Estimates loss around 3% which a significant amount comes from illegal marijuana grow houses
Energy theft is the 3rd most stolen commodity after credit cards and vehicles
Point 1:Largest single “industry” for power theft Point 2: Many growers have multiple operation which could result in even more significant losses of $400,000 each year Point 3: Tapping directly into 12kV and 25Kv power lines Underground linesAbove ground linesTapping of existing panel boxesSome even hollow out utility poles, then tap into power line and run the line underground to the operation. Some will even install their own transformers to handle the load
In Canada, British Columbia has the largest problems with illegal marijuana grow houses
In certain locations throughout the US, older mechanical meters are still used which thieves can easily bypass to operate their grow houses Roughly 20 states in the United States have legalized marijuana, but its still a major problem nation wide
Across the United States power shutoffs doubled in 2008 to 4% of residential accountsTheft among business users also saw a significant rise in 2008 with double digit riseEnergy theft and assaults on utility workers have reportedly increased as the economy has worsened.
Meter:Tampering: Altering, slowing, swapping meterBypassing meterDamaging or removing the meterInverting the meterMagnets to slow down mechanical meters PICTURE 1:An example of a meter in which the phase with the most load was rerouted around the meter.PICTURE 2: MAGNET PICTURE 3: JUMPERING
Rewiring:Illegally tapping into overhead or underground cablesRewiring property to use meters with lower rates (commercial)
Transformers:Illegally connecting to terminal taps of overhead lines on the secondary side of the transformer Installing additional transformers
Safety: These illegal connection cause significant risk to the thieves stealing the power, the utility workers and the general public. (Unreliable and unstable equipment )Grid Damage: Creating power surges or even electrical system failure from excessive loads leading to outages and damage to utility equipment and infrastructure Transformer Failure Increased Costs: Maintenance time, repair costs, investigations, equipment Customers who will bear the cost for theft and damages Environmental Concerns: Increased CO2 emissions and lossesTransformer explosions causing containments in the ground
POINT 1: To detect meter tapering, bypassing or disconnectingTilt WarningsRemote DisconnectElimates collusion with meter reader and customerPOINT 2: Customer able to key in number after paymentRechargeable Token or card
Point 1: Electricity theft can be difficult to identify Point 2:Point 3:
Every utility has electricity theft hotline.
These illegal connections need a check point or point of reference to compare to the AMI data Comparing the billed electricity at the meter and actual consumption at the distribution transformer can determine where and if theft is occurring