FOCUS- The connected box, which regularly sparks controversy, is now installed in 90% of French homes connected to the Enedis network.
One might think that the connected electricity meter revolution is behind us. Since the first experiments in 2010, nearly 90% of homes subscribed to the network have been equipped with a Linky meter, ie 34.5 million houses and apartments across the country. However, the little green box continues to feed the fantasy and regularly arouses controversy. Latest: the modification of the control of electric water heaters for certain households. The counter, which has attracted all the criticism, nevertheless plays a rather marginal role in the device.
The use of Linky is actually very supervised. The epithets “clever” Where “connected» which he is often called means that he is able to accurately count the overall consumption of the household. Enedis customer director, Éric Salomon, insists on the global character of the measures taken by the meter. “Linky is unable to know the differentiated consumption of each device or each room. Impossible to know, for example, if you watch a lot of television or how often your oven turns.he explains.
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Encrypted data
The readings, however precise they may be, are quantitative and not qualitative. This technological capacity has enabled electricity suppliers to set up billing based on actual household consumption, and not on estimates, as was the case before the Linky era.
Concretely, each month, the Linky meter communicates to the IT department of Enedis the consumption of the household in KWh. These data are completely encrypted, according to the framework set by the National Commission for Computing and Liberties (CNIL). “We can therefore guarantee that our customers’ data will not be hacked”, says Eric Salomon. To go back to the IT department of Enedis, the data circulates by the cables of the electrical network and not by internet, additional guarantee of their preservation. Once received by Enedis, the data is communicated to the suppliers to initiate invoicing.
Read alsoEnedis, champion of electrical networks thanks to Linky
By default, the installation only allows this monthly communication of the household’s electricity consumption in KWh. “But there is a second, more detailed scheme, specifies the framework of Enedis. The customer can request that his Linky meter not measure every month, but every week, every day and up to every half hour. The double consent of the customer to Enedis and its electricity supplier is essential, insists Éric Salomon. And if the customer does not give his consent, Enedis does not have access to these consumption statements to the nearest half hour. “The data remains in the meter, it is the property of the customer”assures the director of the clientele.
Two advantages to this option, according to Enedis. First, the real-time monitoring of its consumption facilitates the adoption of eco-gestures and energy savings; then, it allows suppliers to offer contracts that are more suited to the actual consumption of their customers. “Thanks to Linky, the price list of electricity suppliers now contains around ten indexes. The offers, which are more elaborate, adapt to the different customers»salutes Nicolas Goldberg, engineer and energy consultant at Colombus Consulting.
Remote maintenance
The Linky meter makes remote maintenance possible. By sending a simple signal, called “ping”, the maintenance technician can diagnose the fault in a few minutes over the telephone. No need to rush the technician on site, which saves considerable time and money for the user.
Read alsoHow the Linky meter takes control of your water heater
The Linky meter also facilitates self-consumption. Its technology makes it possible to measure both the energy requested from the network, like any electricity meter, but also that which is redistributed on the network. This is what specialists call bidirectionality. A house with solar panels generates electricity. In the summer, the electricity produced can exceed that which is consumed; this surplus is then dumped on the network. A few years ago, self-consumption houses had to install two electromechanical meters. Today, a single Linky meter is enough. “The Linky meter supports the energy transition by facilitating new uses”defends Eric Salomon.
According to Nicolas Goldberg, Linky meters have “cured the blindness of Enedis on the network of individuals”. The technology embedded inside these green boxes can detect a change in the electrical signal of small magnitude on the network. Users do not realize it, as the disturbances are so small, but such data allows Enedis to ensure better maintenance of its network. “Before, network maintenance was done a bit blindly, depending on the age of the installations”, says the energy specialist. Significant savings have been achieved, referred to as “precious” by Nicolas Goldberg, who recalls that Enedis is a subsidiary of EDF, a public company.
Seven years after the launch campaign, the Linky meter still suffers from a bad reputation. Due to the resistance of septic systems, 3.8 million Linky meters remain to be installed in France.