The popular idiom ‘take the bull by the horns’ is said when individuals decide to tackle a problematic situation directly or confidently. Electricity theft has become a global challenge as many countries, especially developing countries, find it difficult to combat the stealing of electricity.
Electricity theft is the unlawful use of electricity to avoid the billing paying. This act can be carried out in different forms such as meter bypass, tapping electricity directly from the distribution feeder, placing foreign objects into the electric meter to alter the readings, illegal connections and refusing to pay electric bills.
These are all forms of electricity theft, and they contribute to the losses encountered by distribution companies and make it difficult for utilities to generate the appropriate revenue.
However, with the advances in technology, electricity theft is gradually becoming a thing of the past. Smart meters have been developed to solve the problem of electricity theft. One beautiful thing about the meters is that they can be operated from remote locations, eliminating the physical contact between consumers and utility providers.
Smart meters are electronic devices that record information such as electricity consumption, voltage levels, current and power factor. Smart meters are a win-win solution for electricity consumers and providers.
On the consumption end, it communicates appropriate information to the consumer to better understand his/her electricity consumption behaviour. While on the distribution end, it communicates the information to enable utilities to have proper system monitoring and consumer billing.
In combating electricity theft, smart meters provide a comprehensive set of events and alert to reveal both the arrangement for and the actual performance of fraud and theft at the meter. The most advanced smart meters can include signals that indicate attempts to hack the meter or the communications network.