CF builders?

[carringtonm]

Lighthearted!

Due to ongoing issues, our whole road have had to have the front and back gardens dug up and redone. It's been going on since October. There are seven houses in our street. All the side gates and a small portion of fence from the back gardens have been removed to allow easy access, so effectively anyone can go into any garden at the moment. This is fine - we certainly wouldn't expect the contractors to be refitting seven garden gates and fences every day for months on end.

I'm home and noticed that there are 6-8 builders working out the front of my neighbours' houses (but not on mine) today. I was pottering around upstairs and happened to look out of the bedroom window and noticed that there was a kettle plugged into our outside electricity socket (this did not come as standard in these houses, we had it added ourselves in the summer).

I spied for a while and realised that the builders are using our electricity to make their hot drinks! AIBU or is this a bit cheeky considering that a) they aren't actually working on our property today, b) we are likely to be the only home with an outside socket as they were not fitted as standard and the houses have only been built for a year, and c) this reconstruction work has been ongoing for over three months and is not set to be finished until April - so six months worth of electricity to make hot drinks every weekday for however many men (there have been up to 20 contractors on site at various points so far).

[araiwa]

I really couldnt give a fuck about that

Jesus, have a word with yourself

[Twickerhun]

I’d be annoyed if they hadn’t asked permission.
Go talk to them?

[monkeywithacowface]

Seriously? It's fucking freezing outside and your begrudging them a few pence to make a cup of tea?

[ChocolateChipMuffin2016]

I would care about that! We're on a tight budget and someone boiling a kettle, multiple times a day, using my electric would really annoy me!

Had they asked, I might not mind (because I'm a push over) but sneakily using it would make me mad! YANBU

[Hisnamesblaine]

Its rude they didnt ask!

[Randomlywondering]

I think it's impolite they didn't ask first. I'd have no issue with them using my electricity for tea but I would like to be asked before they (technically) stole my electricity.

[LouiseH2017]

Do you have a separate trip switch for the outside socket? You could just turn it off.

[MargotMoon]

It would annoy me that they didn't ask but not sure I'd do anything about it unless I had an isolation switch indoors as it is freezing outside

[Fishface77]

Turn your electric of op and go outside and say they’ve tripped your electric and you and going to sue them .
Then say only joking and carry on.

[HumbleCrumble]

Missing the point of the thread slightly, but HSE requires their employer to provide means for boiling water. Do they have a welfare cabin?

[carringtonm]

I was going to offer to make them tea before I saw that they had sorted themselves out. It's not a particularly cold day today, but I appreciate that working outside all day through winter won't be pleasant.

I'm not going to talk to them or let it ruin my day, I just think it's a bit cheeky not to ask first. We're talking months of work, not just a day or two. Money isn't desperately tight for us but it could be for all they know. I think I'll manage to get over it eventually though!

[Royalfuckup]

I’ve never heard of an outside socket!

Doesn’t that mean anyone could potentially steal your electricity?

I think you need to start switching it off!

[carringtonm]

@HumbleCrumble Yes, it's a new build site so there's a site office about three rows of houses back from mine (we are at the very front of the site). Probably a 5 minute walk for them to get there from our street.

[IAmNotThrowingAwayMyShot]

But do you know they’ve been doing it for months? You probably would’ve noticed before, don’t you think?

[carringtonm]

@Royalfuckup Normally we keep our back garden gate locked but it's been removed for the work (which we didn't know was needed before we had our socket installed). An electrician friend added it for us when he was doing some other work, it's useful for plugging the grass strimmer in, or I might work in the garden on my laptop in the summer.

[ImAMarshmellow]

Can't imagine I would care. I'd have probably offloaded my Christmas biscuits onto them by now so they have something to dunk .

At the end of the day, I doubt they will be making much of a dent in your electricity.

[Mybabystolemysanity]

Ha ha! Yes, it's a bit cheeky not to ask you first. I'd be insisting on being included with the tea and bacon rolls as payment!

[carringtonm]

@IAmNotThrowingAwayMyShot I'm not normally home in the day (I'm a teacher), just happen to be off work today. They potentially haven't done it before, you're right.

[carringtonm]

@Mybabystolemysanity Haha, I actually have a packet of biscuits I was going to offer them when I was going to see if they wanted tea. I could get the BBQ going for them so they have something to eat too! Wouldn't want to be inhospitable.

[AngelsSins]

They should have asked you, its basic manners.

[HidingFromTheWorld]

I’d go out with a pack of biscuits and ask if they wanted my food as well as my power supply.

But then I’ve endured months of CF builders who have no regard for homeowners trying to go about their lives whilst construction work continues so I’m not feeling very generous right now!

[carringtonm]

@HidingFromTheWorld They did all stand and watch me struggle with my shopping earlier (having to park in the road opposite because they need our drives for access in the day time). So there I was, pregnant, trying to carry the weekly shop into the house in one go (because I'm too lazy to walk to/from the car more than once) and they stood having a chat in the street outside my house. THEN I find out they're stealing my electricity! I should log it with 101.

[rjay123]

Is it on a separate ring to your other sockets? Switch it off at your fuse box!

[PonderLand]

My DP makes me use a hob kettle as it's cheaper than electricity we had one of those things that reads your electricity usage and he went a bit crazy with it testing everything.

I googled and found this info online

The average kettle holds 1.5 pints and uses about one unit of electricity to boil 12 pints of water (or 8 x 1.5 pint-full kettles) – so that's around 2.5p every time you boil a full kettle.

[Chrys2017]

It could add up to quite a sum of money if they are using it multiple times a day for three months. But even if you're not bothered about the money, they should have asked.
I would switch it off.