I have the digital meter from PEA, which is installed in one of their aluminium cabinets, with a window so the meter always can be seen.

My property is secured with CCTV and an alarm system, but a smart thief will just open the cabinet and disconnect the wires from the meter. That mean CCTV is out right away, and it's just waiting for the backup battery of the alarm system to run out. Any way, the high decibel external siren and flood lights attached to the alarm will stop working right away.

So am I allowed to put a lock on the PEA cabinet?

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by CallumWK

Get a 5 kWh battery backup for your essential needs. Problem solved.

Or add a smaller solar setup, so you can stay off-grid when you are away, with alerts if the system switches off-grid or the battery gets low.

4 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Get a 5 kWh battery backup for your essential needs. Problem solved.

Or add a smaller solar setup, so you can stay off-grid when you are away, with alerts if the system switches off-grid or the battery gets low.

That was not my question, and would also not make sense in my situation.

CCTV power supply and alarms system power supply are at different ends of the house, so a 5kWh battery would involve a lot of re-wiring.

I have no plans either to spend tens of thousands of baht to install a solar system.

A lock is 200 baht and would solve my problem

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by CallumWK

12 minutes ago, CallumWK said:

That was not my question, and would also not make sense in my situation.

CCTV power supply and alarms system power supply are at different ends of the house, so a 5kWh battery would involve a lot of re-wiring.

I have no plans either to spend tens of thousands of baht to install a solar system.

A lock is 200 baht and would solve my problem

You should ask PEA directly, because every office seems to work from their own policies, not very different from any other public government office in Thailand. But from my experience, they are very rigid about their own system and property.

PEA needs access to their equipment and adding private locks, just think about the key system they would need for monthly checks, so it would be a universal key for avery meter in that case.

And if someone really wants to cut your electric, a simple lock will not stop them anyway. They can still cut the supply before it even reaches the cabinet, so to me it can easily become false security.

A small solar system or battery backup will give you more control, and also live status of your system. Then you can see when the power goes off, when the system switches to backup, and when the battery gets low, which will send messages/alarm to your app.

5 minutes ago, Hummin said:

PEA needs access to their equipment and adding private locks, just think about the key system they would need for monthly checks, so it would be a universal key for avery meter in that case.

They don't need to open the cabinet to check the meter. There is a window it the cabinet so the meter is fully visible all the time.

7 minutes ago, Hummin said:

And if someone really wants to cut your electric, a simple lock will not stop them anyway. They can still cut the supply before it even reaches the cabinet, so to me it can easily become false security.

I doubt burglars walk around with scissors that can cut a 1-inch power cable easily.

9 minutes ago, Hummin said:

A small solar system or battery backup will give you more control, and also live status of your system. Then you can see when the power goes off, when the system switches to backup, and when the battery gets low, which will send messages/alarm to your app.

As I said already, not gonna spend tens of thousands of baht if it can be sorted with a 200 baht lock

3 minutes ago, CallumWK said:

They don't need to open the cabinet to check the meter. There is a window it the cabinet so the meter is fully visible all the time.

I doubt burglars walk around with scissors that can cut a 1-inch power cable easily.

As I said already, not gonna spend tens of thousands of baht if it can be sorted with a 200 baht lock

Fair point, if the meter is visible through the window, they do not need to open the cabinet just to read it.

But PEA access is not only about reading the meter. They need access for inspection, sealing, replacement, testing, disconnecting, or reconnecting. That is where a private lock becomes a problem.

Most random burglars probably do not walk around with tools to cut a heavy power cable, but burglars who know how to disconnect power with tools might also have a cutter. My point is that a simple lock feels like security, but it does not change the bigger risk if someone knows what they are doing.

If you do not appreciate ideas, then why post here? Go to PEA and get your question answered there. Nobody here can know what your local PEA office thinks about your solution.