The regular increase in the cost of electricity sometimes makes you think about the possibility of saving on these costs. Some are trying to solve the problem by unauthorized connection to the power supply system without meters, while others are making changes to the design of metering devices. To help you reasonably assess the degree of responsibility for such actions, we will talk about their consequences and how to avoid breaking the law.
Content
- 1 What is considered unauthorized connection to the power grid?
- 2 What methods are used by perpetrators?
- 3 How can you detect unauthorized connection of electricity?
- 4 Responsibility for unauthorized connection of electricity
- 5 Liability for unreasonable disconnection from the network
- 6 How to prove your innocence or reduce the punishment?
What is considered unauthorized connection to the power grid?
Roskomnadzor classifies unauthorized connection to the power grid as follows and provides for administrative punishment upon detection of:
- Any unauthorized connection to the mains;
- Making changes and violations in the operation of accounting devices: the use of tools for disc braking (including magnets), mechanical change of gear teeth;
- The use of devices that unwind the gearbox in the opposite direction;
- Installation and use of faulty meters.
IMPORTANT! According to article 7.19 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, the fine for unauthorized connection by individuals will be from 1,500 to 2,000 rubles. For persons upon execution, the fine will be from 3,000 to 4,000 rubles, and for legal entities - from 30,000 to 40,000 rubles.
By law, any electrical work must be carried out by a specialized company authorized in your area. Their area of responsibility includes the following work: conducting wiring to the meter and the introductory machine, outputting the wiring to the circuit breaker, which any user can work with, as well as sealing the meter. To carry out work directly in your house or apartment, you can hire qualified specialists, or you can do it yourself.
IMPORTANT! If you find any mechanical damage on the installed devices, you must immediately contact the organization that installed them. Solving such a problem on your own is dangerous.
What methods are used by perpetrators?
To arbitrarily connect to a power line, you must have a basic knowledge of electromechanics, so it is common.Next, we will give several methods that violators use, so that you can imagine why your meters may increase and how electricity can be stolen from you.
- Conducting a cable to your own premises from a public channel (for example, from an entrance);
- Connection to neighbors if the device is located in a public place, or through parallel sockets;
- Disc braking in the counter mechanically or with a magnet;
- Installation of a separate line that does not pass through the meter;
- Unsealing the device for rewinding indicators.
How can you detect unauthorized connection of electricity?
Most violations are recorded as part of standard checks. The contract for the provision of electricity fixes the terms in which regular checks of equipment, including meters, are carried out. Also, energy sales employees have the right to arrange unscheduled inspections.
IMPORTANT! An unscheduled inspection can be initiated for any object - from private property to institutions.
If violations are detected, the inspection service draws up an act of illegal connection in two copies (one remains with the offender, and the second is sent to the energy company). In most cases, this results in a lawsuit in the district court.
Also, if you want to independently check for unauthorized connections to your devices, you can turn off all power sources in the room and evaluate the behavior of the devices: if the counter continues to increase when you have everything turned off, then someone has connected to you.
Responsibility for unauthorized connection of electricity
The degree of responsibility for the violation is determined by the court during the consideration of the case. The result largely depends on the type of illegal connection to the power grid. Depending on the severity of the assessed violation, the court has the right to impose both administrative and criminal liability.
Administrative responsibility
Unauthorized connection is considered an administrative offense, and if such a violation is detected, a fine is imposed. These cases are considered by a justice of the peace in the district court at the place of residence. In addition to the fine, the violator will have to pay for the work to eliminate unauthorized connection, as well as pay off the debt for the used electricity.
Criminal liability
It is also worth considering that when considering a case, a magistrate may attribute it to criminal liability. In this case, it can be considered under two articles: 158 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Theft” and 165 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Causing damage”. As a rule, these violations include large enterprises, since the volume of illegally used electricity is very large. According to the decision of the court, the punishments can be as follows:
- Article 165 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: a fine of up to 300,000 rubles, or forced labor, or deprivation of liberty up to 2 years.
- Article 158 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: deprivation is free for up to 10 years with a fine of up to 1 million rubles.
Liability for unreasonable disconnection from the network
In case of detection of an unjustified disconnection from the network, which did not cause major damage or consequences, they usually manage with a warning or the imposition of an administrative fine:
- The fine for officials will be up to 500,000 rubles if their actions are defined as arbitrariness (Article 19.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation);
- When proving violations of the standards for the provision of public services to the population (Article 7.23 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation), the fine for an official will be up to 1,000 rubles, and for a legal entity - from 5,000 to 10,000 rubles;
IMPORTANT! If the violation of the standards will entail serious consequences (for example, harm to health), then the perpetrators will be assigned criminal liability.
The fine for arbitrariness will be up to 80,000 rubles, or an arrest of up to 6 months, or forced labor will be appointed.
How to prove your innocence or reduce the punishment?
In the event that an offense has been identified, it is impossible to completely evade liability. Therefore, the only thing the violator can do is try to reduce the punishment, which will reduce the fine, or apply to the court with a request to decriminalize liability (in other words, transfer the case from criminal to administrative). The most correct step for this is the voluntary compensation of the damage caused to the service provider.
There is only one scenario in which you will be able to partially prove your innocence: the shutdown was implemented in violation of the rules of procedure (Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 442). In this case, it is necessary to file a complaint with the energy supply service provider, duplicating it with appeals to the Federal Antimonopoly Service and the prosecutor's office. This will allow you to prove that the identified violation was caused by you due to a violation on the part of the electricity supplier.
IMPORTANT! Even if a violation was revealed in the work of the electricity supplier, the violator's liability for unauthorized connection is not removed and is considered under article 7.10 of the Administrative Code. It is almost impossible to avoid administrative punishment (fine) based on the results of the consideration of the case.
In conclusion, we want to draw your attention to the fact that unauthorized connection of electricity is illegal, very easily detected and the savings from it will not be justified, taking into account all the fines and risks that may be imposed on the offender.
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