" wrote:

Here's a question no one has asked. Why is the meter
in a box that is locked? I've never seen this before.

That question was posed earlier in this thread, and I speculated as to
the reason for a locked cabinet in a post I made on Friday night (8:47
pm est):

============
The meter is in a locked cabinet. The only time I get to see it is when
the meter-reader guy comes around once a month to read it.

I suspect the meter is in a locked cabinet to prevent tampering / bypass
(the meter is inside the utility / furnace room of the building and is
not accessible from the outside).
==========

Based on the following (and others which I'm not including) I don't
think it's uncommon for billing meters to be located in locked cabinets,
or "cupboards" (a term used in the UK):



====================
http://www.horizonpower.com.au/downl...equirement.pdf

Multiple occupancy premises must have their meters readily accessible at
all times and comply with section 6 of the WAER, unless remote reading
facilities are installed. Where meters are located within a locked
meter-box/ cabinet or enclosed area, an approved Horizon Power master
lock must be fitted, allowing Horizon Power access to the meters at all
times. The disengaging of electronic security systems to obtain access
to the meters is not acceptable. Such cases will require an automated
reading system (AMR) to be installed.
====================

See also:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/....php?t=2207277

And this:

==================
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp...46&sec=sarawak

See explained that Lee’s electricity meter was locked inside a
centralised cabinet outside his premises and three of the eight meters
inside the cabinet were found with signs of attempted tampering.
===================

And this:

=================
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1414092

I live in a small townhouse block with 3 dwellings. We are in an Energy
Australia distribution area.

Our electricity meters are all together in a locked metal cabinet near
the street. These connect with underground wiring to a breaker box in
each house's garage.
==================

And this:

===============
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Law/Question512492.html

When the houses were built, it was decided that the electricity meters
of each property would be placed in a 5ft x 3ft metal wall cabinet on
the outside gable end wall of an end property of each terrace of
houses. Recently, a new tenant has moved into the end property of my
terrace of houses and he has proved to be quite an objectionable and
difficult character. He is very unsympathetic towards my need to check
my meter and to make matters worse, the council has locked the cabinet
and provided him with a key just like they've done with other terrace
blocks on the estate.
=================