For most homeowners, securing a meter box is probably not something that they would think about. However, there are some very important reasons why meter box security is something that you should seriously consider.
What Is A Meter Box?
Your meter box is an enclosed and weatherproof box that is situated on the exterior of your house. It contains your electricity meter as well as your switchboard.
The meter measures your electricity consumption which is then used to calculate how much electricity you’ve used and how much your provider needs to charge you for the consumption.
On the switchboard, you’ll find all of your electricity switches and main fuses that help to run the power for your home. This is also where your safety switch is located.
Why Should You Secure A Meter Box?
There are several reasons why you should consider securing your meter box.
Safety
Firstly, having a lock on your meter box is a good safety measure. It can stop criminals from accessing the switchboard and turning off your power or tampering with it. This is an easy way to lure you out of the house.
Security
Turning off the power using the main switch is also quite a common way for would-be burglars to check when you are home or whether you’ve just left the lights and TV on to make it look like you’re at home.
Turning Off The Power Will Disable Your CCTV
If you’re away from home, would-be burglars could easily turn off the power from your meter box and effectively disable your CCTV.
Guard Against Vandalism
In areas with high foot traffic like Port Melbourne and South Melbourne, vandals could access your meter box and turn off the main switch. If you’re away from home, this could mean that the food in your fridge and freezer spoils and your security lights won’t turn on.
Convenience
We use a special Victorian Power Industry padlock that your meter reader will have a master key for so you don’t have to be home to unlock the meter box.
Talk To Amalgamated Locksmiths, Your Local Locksmith Expert
There’s only one problem with locking your meter box. That is, that your meter reader needs to have access to read your meter. Otherwise, your electricity company will estimate your consumption and you could be paying more than you have to.
At Amalgamated Locksmiths, we have the solution as part of our residential locksmith services. We can provide you with Victorian Power Industry Padlocks. This means that your meter reader will have a master key that can unlock this special padlock to get access to your meter.
Call us today to have our mobile locksmith come out and fit a Lockwood High Security 334 Series padlock to your meter box to give you complete peace of mind.
