Estimated £1.5bn of energy is stolen in Great Britain every year

Energy theft is something everyone should care about. It’s not just organised criminals committing energy theft but everyday people, and it’s adding an average of £50 to household bills each year.

According to Britain’s energy theft tip off service, Stay Energy Safe, an estimated one in every 150 homes have committed energy theft.

This theft is adding nearly £50 a year to energy bills, and this is expected to go up if energy theft continues to increase.

Energy theft can also be dangerous. Tampering with gas and electricity supplies can present all kinds of risks, resulting in electrical fires, gas leaks, and explosions.

If you suspect someone of stealing energy you can report it anonymously online through the Stay Energy Safe website.

Energy meter tampering: not worth the risk

Energy theft isn’t always happening on a large scale and it’s not always the people you expect doing it. Anyone could be responsible for energy theft, even people you don’t suspect.

Meter tampering is a common way people try to pay less for their energy and is becoming more commonplace as energy prices go up.

Messing with an energy meter to prevent it properly recording your energy use is energy theft and is not only illegal but dangerous as well.

Tampering with energy meters can result in live electrical components being exposed, posing significant risks. It can result in electric shocks and burns, fires, or even explosions, and tampering with gas meters can also cause dangerous gas leaks.

Getting caught for meter tampering can also have some sever consequences:

• Fines of thousands of pounds

• Jail time

• Eviction

• Invalidation of home insurance

Signs of energy theft to look out for

The following advice has been provided by Ofgem and Stay Energy Safe to help you identify potential energy theft:

Check the meter

If the energy meter has been locked up by someone else – a landlord, a tenant, or an employer – and they refuse to allow you access to it, it’s possible that they could have tampered with it.

If you can access the energy meter, here are some common signs of meter tampering Stay Energy Safe advise you to look out for:

• Damaged casing

• Meter placed back to front

• Loose wires, unusual wires, or wires added with clips

• Meter dials aren’t visible, not moving, or running backwards

• Melted casing, burns or scorch marks

• Crackling or hissing sounds

• Strange smells, such as burning or leaking gas

• Rubber piping

Keep an eye on energy bills

Look out for sudden changes to your energy bill.

Someone who is stealing energy is likely to have energy bills that are lower than normal, but someone who is having their energy stolen might have bills that are much higher.

Try turning everything off

If you suspect someone is stealing your electricity, try turning off all your electrical appliances and observe your meter. If your meter is registering that electricity is still being used, it could be a sign that your electricity is being stolen or that there is a fault.

Don’t ignore tampering in public places

Energy theft doesn’t always happen in people’s homes. There have been many cases of businesses stealing electricity as well. Keep an eye out in public places for electrical sparks or damaged equipment.

The number of UK households in fuel poverty hit 6.1 million in April 2025 and the total debt of gas and electricity customers in Great Britain reached a staggering £3.85 billion at the end of 2024 according to Ofgem data – more than double what it was in 2021 before the energy crisis.

There are other, safer was to cut energy costs if your bills are going up. Read our energy saving tips to discover new tools and tactics to cut down your gas and electricity costs. You can also compare energy prices online with us and see if you can get a cheaper deal with a different provider.