Let me just chime in here for a minute. Yes, I am new to the forum but I do not quite a bit about utility companies, power usage rates, and yes,cops knocking on doors (and battering rams). This is for the U.S. anyways.
Indeed power companies sell power, however, many of them are forced to conserve power. Ever see power companies sponsoring rebates for CFL's and other energy reduction strategies? They do actually. Some utilities in California actually make MORE MONEY, when they sell LESS POWER. Its actually a pretty damn good set-up conservation wise but I'm not going to get into here as its complicated. At any rate, in talking with executives at our local utility company I asked them about power consumption and monitoring and all that. He said they generally monitor things by grid. These grids are primarily separated by zoning. So yeah, 30,000kwh for an electro plating facility is no big deal. Single family residential however, that is a big deal. The average consumer in this region uses about 400kwh a month. So if your cranking 8 1000watt lights, you are 3,840 kwh a month. THAT IS A HUGE JUMP. That isn't "lots of air conditioners" or a couple huge flat screens..that is a house that is growing weed.
I don't think that the power company is in the business of discovering grow operations but you can be guaranteed that your massive power usage is noted.
In a very round about way I was hired to help a guy that was busted for a growing operation (I'm an environmental consultant and he built his underground grow room in a stream buffer..and I had to help him fix that mess). Anywho, so this guy has massive power consumption, and the power company thinks..huh, there is something wrong with the system out there, lets check it out. The go check it out and they see power cables running into the ground. Cables that they did not install. After returning to the office, having not fond anything wrong, they look at this guys records, holly shit!!! They call the police. Police stake the place out, and well, you know how this part of the story goes...lets just say he doesn't have a grow room anymore.
BUT!! there is a silver lining. This guy was smart and hired a good lawyer. The case was thrown out in court as the eclectically company, by law, should have contacted him first about the illegally installed power feed. He wasn't stealing power, but he did do his own feed line to the main utility line. Because they went straight to the police, the evidence was thrown out on some legal technicality.
Not sure what the point was as I'm pretty damn stoned and I'm prattling on and on but the bottom line is this....
DON'T BE FUCKING GREEDY.
back to the original poster..that whole "there is allot of legal operations here" argument will maybe 5 seconds when the cops show up at your door.
