Purpose. The purpose of this work is to develop a methodology for identifying a defective connection on a single medium- or low-voltage busbar section among several parallel connections. Methodology. As is known, from three to two dozen connections can be powered simultaneously from the busbar section of the main step-down substation with a higher voltage of 35÷154 kV, a dead-end substation with a medium voltage of 10 (6) kV or a transformer substation with a voltage of 10 (6)/0.4 kV.A metering device defect on one of these connections can only be detected using the balance method (where a metering device, usually for commercial purposes, is installed at the busbar section input, and each outgoing connection from the busbar section is also equipped with an electricity meter). The search for a defective metering device is carried out by inspecting all metering devices for each connection. Among them, the defective device is identified. However, this procedure often takes a significant amount of time, requires the implementation of organizational and technical measures when working in operational electrical installations, and can lead to emergency disconnections of connections due to voltage circuit shorting or current circuit breaking caused by incorrect or erroneous actions of personnel. Findings. Four main types of defects in accounting schemes are identified. It is shown that the imbalance between commercial and technical accounting can be used to identify defects in the tire section. Criteria for the rapid identification of defective connections based on statistical methods such as correlation analysis and one-factor analysis of variance are developed. Originality. In contrast to the existing approach, the sequence is proposed and the criteria for finding a connection with a metering defect are developed using the analytical method. As a result, it will be necessary to replace the metering device or device only at one connection connected to the busbar section with a defect in the metering circuits. The analytical method is based on the processing of metering data and the calculation of several statistical coefficients. Practical value. The proposed methodology enables the rapid identification of a defective metering device using an analytical method. It ensures fast and accurate detection of defective connections on the busbar section, helping to avoid emergency situations and energy losses. This makes the methodology valuable for industrial enterprises with high energy consumption.