High power bill problem?

[c2500]

I was over at my family's warehouse today. My uncle said he was shocked when he touched a conduit box on a post. It was a single gang box that had been ripped from the support pole. When damaged, it pushed a knockout against the hot side of the receptacle. When I touched the box to the screw that once held the box, I got 115+ volts. The conduit was ripped apart at the next joint, with only the wires supporting the whole arrangement.
This area has had fairly high power bills. Do you think the box touching the pole could have leaked enough to result in the increased bills? The pole had primer and a coat of safety yellow paint. I did not see any sign of arcing from the box to the pole. Thoughts? Also, who knows how long the box has been this way.

c2500

[Buck Parrish]

I was over at my family's warehouse today. My uncle said he was shocked when he touched a conduit box on a post. It was a single gang box that had been ripped from the support pole. When damaged, it pushed a knockout against the hot side of the receptacle. When I touched the box to the screw that once held the box, I got 115+ volts. The conduit was ripped apart at the next joint, with only the wires supporting the whole arrangement.
This area has had fairly high power bills. Do you think the box touching the pole could have leaked enough to result in the increased bills? The pole had primer and a coat of safety yellow paint. I did not see any sign of arcing from the box to the pole. Thoughts? Also, who knows how long the box has been this way.

c2500



Probably not, or at least not much, unless it was getting hot.
Probably several rate increases per month. As seems to be the the norm these days.