Extra fees start soon for French homes without Linky smart electricity meter
The meters were first introduced in 2018 but have attracted controversy
If households refuse to have a Linky meter installed, they will now be charged extra from next year
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Homeowners in France who refuse the installation of a Linky smart electricity meter are to start receiving extra charges from January 2025.
From January 1 electricity distribution company Enedis is set to levy extra fees on households that do not have one of the connected meters.
What percentage of homes will be affected?
Around 90% of homes in France now have a Linky meter installed but around 10% have refused to accept one, largely due to (disputed) concerns over data privacy and health.
How much will the extra fee be?
Customers without a Linky meter will now have to pay for a technician to come and take readings for which the charge will be €64 per year. This will be added to the client’s electricity bills.
Why is the charge being added?
Enedis has said that the charge is intended to encourage customers to have the smart meter installed. Readings are then transmitted automatically removing the need for manual checks.
Enedis states that because customers equipped with a Linky meter no longer need to pay for this service it is only fair that the costs should be paid for by those who continue to use the traditional system.
The company also states that having a Linky meter removes the need for manual readings, sends readings automatically, improves the accuracy of billing, optimises consumption levels and enables the integration of newer, renewable energy sources.
Debate and controversy
Ever since the meter was first introduced it has been the subject of debate and even multiple court cases.
Some say the meters compromise privacy and data safety while others believe that they emit electromagnetic waves that cause health problems.
Last year a large-scale fraud - which saw people illegally tampering with their meters in a bid to reduce their electricity bills - was uncovered.
Read also: Large-scale Linky meter fraud discovered in France
In December last year a court in Saint-Etienne (Loire) ruled that a man’s Linky meter should be removed after he reported hearing a constant whistling and suffering from bad headaches ever since the meter was installed. He said he did not experience the symptoms when he was not at home.
Read also: Court orders removal of man’s Linky electricity meter
Read also: Linky faces court challenge from 300 in Bordeaux
He said this was due to electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) which was recognised as a handicap in France in 2015.
The court ruled that the man was legitimately suffering and that the meter should be removed in a decision that was hailed as a victory by the Stop Linky & 5G collective which opposes the mandatory installation of Linky meters.
In a 2005 report the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the symptoms are “certainly real” but added that “there is no scientific basis to link EHS symptoms to electromagnetic field exposure”.
An estimated 5% of the population, or 3.5 million people in France could be affected by EHS, a 2018 report by French environmental health agency ANSES found.
