Energy theft tipped to rise as bills soar

Soaring bills could lead to more households stealing energy, campaigners have warned.

Energy theft involves tampering with a gas and electricity meter so your energy usage isn’t recorded.

But tampering with your meter is dangerous and could lead to you facing up to five years in prison and a fine of £2,000.

On top of that, you’ll have to pay for the energy you stole and any work that needs to be done to fix of replace the meter.  

Nevertheless, National Energy Action believes more people will risk resorting to energy theft following recent bill increases.

Matt Copeland, head of policy at the charity, said: “As prices continue to rise and energy debt increases, households struggling to pay their bills will turn to increasingly desperate measures to stay warm at home and keep up with their bills.”

Mr Copeland added that the government must recognise this problem and provide “significant support” to hard-pressed households.

What help is available?

If you’re finding it hard to keep up with your bills, you should speak to your energy supplier, as they might be able to offer help such as grants. 
 
It’s also well worth checking to see what other support you might be eligible for. 
 
Use our benefits calculator or get in touch to find out what you could claim. 

How widespread is energy theft?

According to Energy UK, energy theft in Great Britain costs up to £1.4 billion per year.

This works out to around £50 a year on everyone’s energy bills. 

And according to Crimestoppers, it’s become a growing problem.

In the last four years, the number of energy theft tip-offs it has received has gone up by about two-thirds.

But the organisation believes that around 250,000 cases are probably going unreported every year.

Crimestoppers also estimates that up to one in every 150 homes have tampered with their pipes, cables or meters to get energy for less.