Revenue Protection
Revenue Protection
Revenue Protection
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<strong>Revenue</strong> <strong>Protection</strong><br />
Presented by:<br />
Thor Wishart<br />
Utility Field Services Manager<br />
*Past President Southeastern Utilities <strong>Revenue</strong> <strong>Protection</strong><br />
Association
GRU General information<br />
• Electric 100K<br />
• Gas 40K<br />
• Water 60K<br />
• Other Services: WW, Telecommunications<br />
• GRU is Located in North Central Florida<br />
• Annual revenue of 250 M
General Manager<br />
Legal<br />
Gas<br />
W/WW<br />
Electric T&D<br />
C&AS<br />
Customer Operations<br />
<strong>Revenue</strong> <strong>Protection</strong>
F.S. 812.14(2)(c)<br />
• Did unlawfully use or receive the direct benefit<br />
from the use of a utility, knowing, or under such<br />
circumstances as would induce a reasonable<br />
person to believe that such direct benefits have<br />
resulted from any tampering with, altering of , or<br />
injury to any connection, wire, conductor, meter,<br />
pipe, conduit, line, cable, transformer, amplifier,<br />
or apparatus or device owned, operated or<br />
controlled by a utility, to wit: __(A)_, for the<br />
purpose of avoiding payment, contrary to Section<br />
812.14(2)©, Florida Statutes.
City Ordinance Sec 27-126.3<br />
Tampering with, Altering<br />
• (a) Prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any<br />
person to meddle, tamper with, alter or change the<br />
wiring system on any premises or to interfere in<br />
any way with a meter or meter connection.<br />
Should it appear that electric energy has been<br />
stolen by altering the wires, reversing the meter or<br />
otherwise, the general manager for utilities or<br />
his/her designee shall have the right to discontinue<br />
the service until the defect is corrected and the<br />
service approved by the city’s electrical inspector.
How Does Utility Theft<br />
Impact Us<br />
•It has the potential to increase rates<br />
for all customers.<br />
•Estimated 3% gross revenue lost<br />
each year from the utility industry.
Who Steals Utilities<br />
•Customers from all socioeconomic<br />
backgrounds.<br />
•Note: “The Meter Beaters”<br />
publication
•
Prosecution Criteria<br />
• GRU’s goal is not to prosecute every utility<br />
theft.<br />
• The goal is to detect theft, stop it and<br />
recover lost revenue.<br />
• GRU prosecutes customers who are habitual<br />
offenders, and customers who create safety<br />
hazards to the public.
Two Main Elements in<br />
Prosecuting Utility Theft<br />
• The meter has been altered or<br />
tampered with.<br />
• As a result of tampering, the customer<br />
received the benefit of the utility<br />
services without payment.
GRU’s s Electric Meter Seals:<br />
Note: seal states status for<br />
easy interpretation<br />
Green<br />
Active<br />
Black<br />
Inactive<br />
Orange<br />
Delinquent
Cut Seal: Primary Indicator<br />
of Potential Theft
Jumpers Found<br />
Behind the Meter
Jumper Wires Located<br />
in a Bank of Meters<br />
Behind a Plastic Blank
Jumpers Located<br />
Behind Plastic Blank
Fraud: Customers Will<br />
Pay to Have Their<br />
Electric Bills Illegally<br />
Reduced.
Residential Illegal<br />
Straight Pipe
Extension Cord<br />
Source #1
Extension Cord:<br />
Source #2<br />
Is It Theft
Extension Cord Violations<br />
Ordinance Sec. 6-356<br />
• The electrical inspector may permit the temporary<br />
connection of any system or wiring, either during<br />
the course of construction or for temporary light,<br />
heat or power, provided that no temporary<br />
connection shall be made for a period of over 30<br />
days or such time as shall be specified in writing<br />
by the electrical inspector. All provisions for<br />
temporary connections shall be made by a<br />
certified electrician.
Concealed Theft
CD Lock Pried off<br />
Meter Can
Pried Current Diversion,<br />
aka “CD” Lock
Illegal Weather Head Tap
Upside<br />
Down<br />
Electric<br />
Meter With<br />
a Pried<br />
Current<br />
Diversion<br />
Lock.
Meter Disc Jammed
Results From<br />
Prosecution<br />
• In GRU’s history, 99.9% of customers<br />
who are charged with utility theft will<br />
enter a plea without going to trial.
Water Service Prior to Meter Set
Water Service in New Subdivision<br />
Risk of Contamination: No<br />
Backflow Device
•<br />
• Regional <strong>Revenue</strong> <strong>Protection</strong> Groups<br />
•<br />
IURPA.ORG<br />
• ARPA African <strong>Revenue</strong> <strong>Protection</strong> Association<br />
• AURPA Australian Utilities <strong>Revenue</strong> <strong>Protection</strong> Association<br />
• CURPA Caribbean Utilities of <strong>Revenue</strong> <strong>Protection</strong> Association<br />
• LARPA Latin American <strong>Revenue</strong> <strong>Protection</strong> Association<br />
• META Midwest Energy Theft Association<br />
• NC/SCURPC North Carolina / South Carolina Utilities <strong>Revenue</strong> <strong>Protection</strong> Council<br />
• NURPA Northeast Utilities <strong>Revenue</strong> <strong>Protection</strong> Association<br />
• SARPA South African <strong>Revenue</strong> <strong>Protection</strong> Association<br />
• SCRPA South Central <strong>Revenue</strong> <strong>Protection</strong> Association<br />
• SURPA Southeastern Utilities <strong>Revenue</strong> <strong>Protection</strong> Association<br />
• UKRPA United Kingdom <strong>Revenue</strong> <strong>Protection</strong> Association<br />
• WSUTA Western States Utility Theft Association
Network With Law<br />
Enforcement<br />
• Build good relations with narcotics division.<br />
• Encourage Law Enforcement to notify you<br />
when a drug bust is made, so that a utilities<br />
investigation can follow.
Meter Altered to Hide<br />
Indoor Grow Operation
Recommendations<br />
• Join IURPA or local revenue protection<br />
association<br />
• Inspect and reseal meters once every ten<br />
years. This will include a new meter seal<br />
design/ color<br />
• Control issuance of meter seals and have<br />
accountability program
For questions or further<br />
information please contact:<br />
Thor Wishart<br />
Utility Field Services Manager<br />
Gainesville Regional Utilities<br />
wisharttd@gru.com<br />
352-393<br />
393-1845
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