20/01/2014 Inside Out East

Do you want to cut your energy bills? I'm on the hunt for the most

energy efficient home in the East. I'll see how experimental houses in

Milton Keynes helped cut our energy bills. And meet the homeowner from

Essex who pays just ?120 per year to heat her three`bedroom house. I

can't actually imagine living in a normal house now.

And join the energy detectives on the trail of the thieves who steal

power and make all of our bills more expensive. There we have another gas

meter. All the power, the gas and electricity being used to these two

meters, is not being billed. So they are getting it for free. This is a

huge problem. We believe that perhaps ?500 million worth of gas

and electricity is stolen across the industry per year. And in terms of

what that means for a customer, potentially ?30 per year on their

bills. A lot of money for our customers. And it is money that they

shouldn't have to pay. Revealing the stories that matter, closer to home.

This is Inside Out for the East of England.

Tonight, Inside Out is in Milton Keynes. Hello, look at this

wonderful view! More than 30 years ago here in Milton Keynes,

experiments took place to give us more energy efficient homes. We will

see more on that later in the programme. But first, as the row

continues over energy prices, more and more people are stealing gas and

electricity. Some people do it simply out of desperation. But there

are those cheating the system whilst still living the high life. In this

exclusive report for Inside Out, Mark Jordan joins the enforcement

teams on the hunt for the power thieves.

Energy prices are making headlines as our bills hit an all`time high,

but ?30 of our bills each year is paying for power deeds. They have

spurred the power from next door. You will be amazed what is going

on. Every year, people die through tampering their meter. We are going

to disconnect their meter and shut the supply of stop this is the story

of those out to foil the power deeds. The British Gas training

academy. Here engineers learn how to spot tampering of gas and electric

supply. It's never been more needed. The difficult economic climate means

some people think this is the only way they can get their energy. In

terms of what it means to our customers, potentially ?30 on their

bills and that is a lot of money for our customers, and it is money they

shouldn't have to pay. For the next few days, I'm riding along with

Piers and Malcolm ` power theft investigators. The most bizarre case

I think I have dealt with is probably a nursing home. And we

caught him, it cost ?25,000. The biggest bill I had was 290,000.

We're in a very rich part of Essex. Homes here often sell for over a

million. But the team have a tip off about an eight`bed mansion with

?300,000 worth of cars on the forecourt. But the house is

suspiciously energy efficient. We have an anonymous tip`off saying

they have dug down and put in new services for both gas and electric.

The consumption has dropped 80%. Can I come in and have a look to see

what you have got? Thanks. Where is the light switch for this room here?

Within minutes of the team's arrival, the power to most of the

house mysteriously goes off. Something not right ` my suspicion

is that all the back of that house and garage is on unmetered supply.

Which they have now turned off. But where to look for the illegal

supply? Looking to see if any of it has been taken up recently. This

massive gas heating system isn't connected to the official meter. Nor

are those electric gates. I can't see anything in here, except the

alarm, which is working. Where is it likely to be? It could be

disguised. The owners insist the only meters are the ones outside. An

hour and a half into the search ` Piers finds another supply. I can

see the pipe. Another electricity meter. I think we have found what we

are looking for. Let's even I can trace this gas supply. There we have

another gas meter. All the power used is not being built, so they're

getting it for free. For now. But very soon, it is a mansion without

power, the illegal supply cut off. It would be restored until an

estimated ?6,000 is paid. I always talk about need and greed. These

people can pay for all their energy and yet they are not. They have done

something to get energy for nothing. But the next call is for much

smaller fry. The first three we have our domestic. A routine meter

reading has discovered a single mother of three tampering with her

gas meter. There was what appears to be a cooker hose at the time that

actually replaced the gas meter. Even with gas central heating they

only paid ?15 last year. How many live here? My mum, two sisters and

myself. The meter's back but hasn't been installed correctly. Because

the mother has children she's considered vulnerable and can't be

cut off. This is the bypass their using. Potentially this one will go

to the police. We try to find the trends and find who is going round

the estate doing this. They charge from ?10 to hundreds of pounds. They

can do many a day, but they are not at risk themselves. This property

and the adjoining properties might be affected by an explosion.

Whatever the cause ` gas explosions can be deadly. A suspected gas

explosion inside a terraced house. Last year this entire house was

blown apart. Miraculously no one died ` its a chilling reminder of

the dangers of gas. The damage of that explosion was so great that

authorities were never able to pin point the exact cause. Emergency

services were worried about other dangers ` so they decided to conduct

a test. The police were on site and they asked us whether or not we felt

it was right to look at some of the other supplies on the street and

yes, from 20 houses in a single terrace street sure enough we found

five gas thefts and two electricity thefts. It's a great example of how

and what the scale of the issue is. Little now shocks Mark ` he's had

80`year`old pensioners removing gas meters. Ultimately she showed me by

getting grips from under the stairs and starting to undo the meter. So

what's this one? It's a bike inner tube ` it really impacts on safety.

A bicycle inner tube and it was used to bridge the gas meter ` so instead

of gas meter being here, this tube would literally be across here `

like that. This flat's total bill of just ?5

last year led them to find this dangerous bypass. Malcolm prepares

evidence for prosecution and the bill for years of stolen

electricity. It will be built from 2008, from when the account started.

It's going to be a big hill. If you can get away with it ` imagine what

you could save on dozens of properties. This council has

discovered landlords stealing supplies from the street. It's

called hotwiring. We have had a couple of cases where the houses

have actually caught fire. One landlord has 50 properties, all of

them have been hot`wired. The theft of supply can run into millions. He

regularly finds people scared to speak out about landlords charging

them were still in power. Landlords of that kind will fill up their

properties with people who can't complain and a lot of those people

are illegal immigrants ` who fear being deported.

Unless there are any other signs of vulnerability that she is willing to

give, I can't see any at all ` so meter will be disconnected. Power is

now disconnected. I regularly visit homes where people have no

electricity for 2`3 months. Maybe there is a generator. Maybe they are

left in the dark. So what of the underground criminal network

connecting supplies? I'm meeting a man who pleaded guilty to digging up

the street and illegally connecting electricity to more than one and a

half thousand properties. I opened up the main cable and did the

relevant tapping. You supply the electricity and then it was up to

the landlord to contact the electric company? Yes, I meter man was

supposed to, but the Mitterrand. If the meter man didn't come, yes they

could steal. They are getting electricity for free. This man was

given a suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay ?50,000 for

criminal damage to power supplies. Theft is being made all the easier

by the internet. Video guides on stealing energy. And even how to

reverse meters with a smartphone. For just ?30 you can illegally

install a spare meter to run in between the energy company's

readings. A new local scam can go global in days. It's a cat and mouse

game ` close one scam and something new emerges. The latest comes from

China. Openly advertising to rig meters in Chinese community

newspapers. We have come to inspect your gas meter. The problem for the

owner is that the Tampa is irreversible and easy to spot on

meters. It doesn't seem to be moving. The index doesn't seem to be

moving and it doesn't seem to be registering any of the consumption.

It also seems to have a fake seal, in keeping with the other seals we

have been finding. They'll be no frying tonight in this shop as Piers

immediately orders the disconnection of the meter. The consequence is

we're going to cut off your gas. Piers soon unravels the crude scam

from China that's being uncovered in restaurants across Britain. First he

pops out the fake blue seal ` available on the internet. I will

now remove the index mechanism. He then exposes the cogs that drive the

meter mechanism. It's the moment of truth. I don't know if you can see

that, it has teeth taken off. Cut off half the teeth and you half the

bill. This one has just a single tooth left. Only a fraction of the

gas is being recorded on that index. You still don't know anything about

it? You don't know when that could have happened or who could have done

it? Meanwhile, Malcolm produces an estimated bill. It's ?1782.10 for

the past four months. The question is now. We will give you a hard

copy. Can you pay that now ` otherwise I have to tell the

engineers to make sure that supply is capped off and I can let them go.

We will walk away with the meter. Sounds tough. But they can only

charge for the few months he's been with British Gas. Power theft

experts like this former detective warn that thieves, like good

consumers, keep changing supplier. If you can just change supplier very

easily, as it is now. If you get caught abstracting electricity from

one company, you can leave and go to another one. Such as ScottishPower,

British Gas. And if get caught by them, move to another. This is a

problem. Several suppliers refused to take part in this programme,

apart from British Gas. Does that surprise you? Not really. Because

they know what happens. If you say to them ?1 million is stolen from

your company, their profit will be the same. Because that ?1 million

lost will be spread over all the honest paying customers. So they

have lost nothing. And I don't really think they would be happy to

say that. Back at the chip shop, the owner's credit card means this is

one bill we won't be picking up. Immunity from prosecution not

included. There is just one area of power

theft where police, not power companies, take the lead.

Step away from the door. Nationwide, police uncover over 20

cannabis farms a day. Most steal their electric. Essex Police raid up

to six cannabis farms a week. One room like this can cost ?800 a

month in electricity. One, if you get a bill for that, the police will

get suspicious. Two, these criminals just don't want to pay it.

It's thought a third of the electricity stolen in Britain goes

on cannabis farms. The profits are huge. Each plant can yield ?500

worth of cannabis. So they have followed wires all round the house.

And they think this electric is being stolen from neighbours.

You can see the power cable coming from next door. They have spurred

the power from next door. Fire Services report a doubling of

electrical fires from dangerously rigged stolen electric. But it gets

worse. Organised crime gangs don't want you to find this. And they are

not happy when you are ruining thousands of pounds worth of

equipment. So this is a booby trap. Bill Stupples trains investigators

to stay safe. If you manage to open this window and you are lucky enough

not to get electrocuted by the wires underneath. Soon as you put your

weight on this cardboard base, these spikes will just push through. You

will be impaled on the spikes. Once farms are raided, Essex Police

are now under orders to destroy everything that makes growing

cannabis possible. Power theft. Whether on cannabis farms or the

chip shop, it's booming. And unless detected, we get the bill.

The total invoice amount is for ?7,702.88. Catching the thieves is

costly. Few will ever see prison. Here, cheeky enough to ask for a

discount. We don't offer discount. I think that is too much. OK. Do you

want to get the electrician in? The lights may go out. But the bill's

still on us. Cut the electricity off. OK.

And of course, if there's something you think we should be looking into,

you can always send me an e`mail. And I'm on Twitter as well.

Of course, most of us would never dream of stealing gas or

electricity. But there are ways of saving on your fuel bills. On

average, it costs ?1200 a year to heat a house. But we heard it can be

done for ?120. I had to find out more. The story starts right here in

Milton Keynes back in 1980. This is a thermal imaging camera. It

shows up heat. By pointing the camera at a house, you get some

indication of how much heat is being lost through the walls. It is not

entirely scientific. The red shows the heat coming out of the house.

And any heat lost is wasting money. People buying new homes are more

keen than ever to have an eco`friendly properties. On average,

it costs ?1200 to heat a house per year. But I have heard of a style of

house that is much cheaper to run. I am trying to find the ultimate

energy`saving house. Research into the most efficient way to build

houses has gone on for decades. These ones in Milton Keynes were

built in 1980. They were pioneering. The view is impressive...

The Pennyland and Linford Experiment involved building nearly 200 homes

with technical expertise from experts at the Open University. The

efficiency of the houses was monitored. Scientist Bob Everett

explained how each house was insulated. Once the solar radiation

is into the house, it is stored in the thermally massive dense concrete

inner skin. And it is prevented from escaping by the thick insulation. As

well as double glazing. 30 years on and Bob has come to explain what

they were trying to discover. This estate was part of a project to

analyse insulation levels. Use of better gas boilers. And also the

solar aspects, which were what really interested me. Laying houses

out to make use of sunshine just shining through the windows. Rather

than through solar panels and storing it in the big storage tank

inside the house. These windows seem very small on this side? Yes,

designed small windows on the north. And large ones on the south. There

is sufficient room between the rows of houses. Then the sunshine, if

there was any, could graze over the roof line of this row of houses and

into the garden and living rooms of that set of houses. But the main

revelation was insulation. Up until then, there was hardly any in

houses. But now, we take it for granted. The result was that Milton

Keynes went on to develop their own building regulations. They insisted

that all new houses built in Milton Keynes after this were built to good

insulation standards. But did the experimental houses save on fuel

bills? Steven Jackman moved here in 1981. As far as your heating bills

are concerned, do you think the house saved you a fortune? Yes.

Definitely. The living quarters have got the bigger windows. The sun

rises and sets. So that is actually the heat coming in the windows which

is warming your house up in winter. So when you have a winter day, which

is bright and sunny, we are quids in. At current gas prices, they

probably save between ?450 and ?500 per year. These houses used about

half of the gas of Brand X houses on the other side of the road.

So how does the installation in the house stack up against the thermal

imaging camera? This is not exactly scientific, but I thought we would

look at how much heat is being lost from the houses here in Milton

Keynes. A lot of red around the door and the windows. Is that what you

would expect? Yes. I would also expect to have some more out of the

slightly open window at the top. I would expect a plume of warm air

coming out of there. But overall, it looks from this that the work you

and your colleagues did 30 years ago is still working. I would hope so.

House building regulations only came up to the standard of the Milton

Keynes experimental homes in 2002. So they were 20 years ahead of their

time. Now house`builders like Persimmon, one of the biggest, say

making fuel`efficient homes is part of their ethos. Our customers are

looking for fuel efficiency, really. With the rising price of utility

bills, gas and electric, the focus is on thermal efficiency. We look to

enhance our wall, floor, roof, windows. Put thermal efficient

boilers in. The ensure we can keep fuel prices down for purchasers.

But look at these houses. A three`bedroom one can be heated for

as little as ?120 per year. This type of house is a Passivhaus and is

seen by many as the eco`home of the future. It is built with lots of

installation, triple glazing and reuses the heat generated by

appliances and people inside. This Passivhaus development in Tye Green

near Saffron Walden was commissioned by a housing association and built

three years ago. What makes the Passivhaus so energy efficient? It

is insulation. We wrap the house in a tea cosy of installation so it is

wrapped up and kept nice and warm. We use high`performance windows and

doors, triple glazing, insulate it door framing, and which we have

elements join each other, walls and roofs, we try and make sure they are

wrapped up with installation. A good example would be the letterbox.

Those outside on the porch, so they do not penetrate the insulation

layer. We can keep the house well wrapped up. We can look inside one.

You can see how comfortable they really are. Probably in further

shock. It is cold out here now. But inside, it should be nice and warm?

It will be lovely. Come on in. Instantly, you feel it is very warm.

A very comfortable environment. No radiators, no conventional heating.

How is it heated? A special piece of kit doing a lot of work.

As stale air is extracted from the house, the warmth is transferred to

the fresh air coming in. A small, separate device, a bit like a

boiler, adds heat if necessary. What is it like living here? I love

it. It is great. It is always warm. Do you have hefty bills? No, they

are about ?30 per quarter. ?30? ! yeah. So about ?120 per year? Yeah.

Incredible! I am in winter coat, you are in a summer dress. Is it always

this ambient temperature? Yeah, it does not really drop below. If

anything, it gets hotter, such as in summer. So it is nice. I cannot

imagine living in a normal house now.

Let us look at the Passivhaus with the thermal imaging camera.

That looks pretty impressive. Not much heat coming out. A bit at the

door. Some of the door, some around the window edges. Disappointing

around the window. One of the areas we try to avoid any heat loss. Not

too bad, given the house is three years old. Incredible. Someone has

come to the door and you can see all the heat. But everywhere else, it is

not showing. A good image. Showing the heat loss from the open door.

That isn't great. But once the doors closed, the house will be efficient

again. Not affecting the temperature? Not over reasonable

periods. The house has what we call thermal mass. It retains the heat

within the fabric for a while. It keeps the comfort level. So the idea

you cannot open windows in a Passivhaus is not true. So if the

design of the Passivhaus is so good, why aren't more housing developments

made to these specifications? Why aren't companies like Persimmon

building Passivhaus? The problem there is that you can spend about

10`15% extra on constructing a Passivhaus over and above a standard

home. And it is really getting customer perception. Making people

aware of what they are buying into. Why they are paying extra for that.

I think we are on the way to delivering that nature of products.

It is one step at a time. We are trying to educate people we are

producing them and what their benefits are. But in time, we will

head towards a type of that house. It may cost 15% more. But if energy

bills continue to climb as they have been. It will not be too long before

you get your money back. And at the moment, there are only

about 200 of Passivhaus on the whole of the UK. That is all for this

week. Send me an e`mail or contact me on Twitter if you want us to

cover something. Next week, we are in Northampton investigating

something that irritates all of us. Bad parking. It is annoying and can

cause accidents, but Karen naming and shaming culprits stop it? I am

off to Spain to see if there is an end to the nightmare that has left

one couple thousands of pounds out of pocket. And we look back 70 years

to the summer when Essex was targeted by Hitler's mechanical

monsters the doodlebugs. Hello, I'm Ellie Crisell with your

90-second update. The mother of Mikaeel Kular has

appeared in court charged with his murder. The three-year-old's body

was found in Fife on Friday. Rosdeep Kular was remanded in custody.

Suspended for refusing to apologise over sexual harassment claims - the

Lib Dems say Lord Rennard will now be investigated for bringing the

party into disrepute. He's always denied the allegations. An

investigation cleared Lord Rennard and he insists he's nothing to say

sorry for. Police have released disturbing

footage of a violent mugging in Birmingham. The victim was knocked

unconscious, moments later he was kicked and robbed. A number of cars

drove by without stopping. More than 30 drivers have been told

they won't face prosecution over this pile-up if