Two million households in France set to be charged extra energy fee

More than two million households in France are set to be charged an extra fee of up to €63 by electricity distributor Enedis this year because they do not have a Linky smart meter installed.

More than 37 million meters have been installed since 2010, but some 2.1 million households still do not have one. 

Some householders have refused to have one installed, often because of health concerns (although most of these have been disputed).

Similarly, the meters have also been controversial after the national public auditing court la Cour des comptes published a 2024 report stating that installing the meters has cost Enedis a massive €5 billion, but the devices themselves have only translated to an average of 1% in bill savings for householders. 

Read also: Linky smart meter charges: What French homeowners need to know by 2025
Read more: French court orders withdrawal of Linky smart meter in home after health complaints 

Why are households without Linky meters charged more?

Linky meters are ‘smart’, meaning that they track energy usage and send readings to Enedis automatically. This removes the need for manual readings and for these to be sent to Enedis separately by the householder or via an Enedis agent.

Because old-style meters still require an Enedis agent to visit the property in question to check the meter reading, the Commission de Régulation de l'Énergie (CRE) has confirmed that households without a Linky will be charged for these “additional costs”.

These fees will go towards “the maintenance of two computer systems and manual interventions by technicians”, Enedis states on its website.

The charge is set to come into force from August 1, 2025, the CRE confirmed on February 6.

How much will non-Linky households have to pay?

Since 2023, Enedis has been charging €9.04 excluding VAT for customers without a Linky meter, and who have not provided a meter reading for the past 12 months.

But from August 1, 2025, users who do not have Linky will start being charged €6.48 every two months (€38.88 a year). This will be considered a “tariff to cover the costs incurred”.

In addition, customers who do not allow Enedis to access their meters, or who do not provide meter readings, will have to pay an additional €4.14 every two months (€24.84) “to cover the additional costs due to the increased checks”, the CRE said.

Overall, customers may have to pay up to €63.72 more per year (€38.88 + €24.84).

How can I avoid the charges?

The only way to avoid the charges is to install a Linky meter.

If you do not yet have a Linky meter but would like one and want to avoid the charges, Enedis states that “for any questions or to install a Linky meter, customers can contact us on 0 970 83 19 70 [within France]”.

Linky fraud also under spotlight

The CRE has also recently announced plans to step up its fight against people who try to use illegal ‘hacks’ on their Linky smart meters in a bid to save money.

Read also: Save money on electricity bills with simple Linky smart meter check 

Enedis said that energy fraud has cost €250 million since 2022, in a November 2024 article in La Dépêche newspaper. 

Fraudulent ‘hacks’ of the Linky meter can reduce electricity bills by up to 70%, but an Enedis spokesperson said that customers who do this cause “non-fraudulent consumers to pay for dishonest customers”.

The distributor said it would be cracking down on suspected Linky fraudsters.