The arrival of the Linky meter will have caused a lot of controversy. And the new report from the Court of Auditors risks bringing back the worst criticisms about it. According to her, the deployment of Linky meters represents a huge investment of 5.7 billion euros, fully passed on to consumers’ bills. This charge results in a very significant increase in the tariff for using public electricity networks (TURPE), which represents around a third of the household electricity bill. The French thus find themselves financing a project for which they do not yet see the concrete benefits.
Only 1% savings on electricity consumption
The benefits announced at the launch of the project are struggling to materialize. Enedis had promised significant savings for consumers thanks to better control of their consumption. However, the Court of Auditors notes that these advantages remain largely theoretical. Real gains in terms of energy savings are estimated at only 1% of consumptionfar from the initial objectives which suggested significant reductions.
The report also highlights that the system mainly benefits Enediswhich makes significant savings on recovery and maintenance operations. These gains, estimated at several hundred million euros per yearare not passed on to consumers’ bills, who continue to bear the bulk of the costs. In the midst of the energy crisis, this report risks sounding like a revolt. Some French people have already taken the plunge by defrauding their Linky meter, with the risks that this entails.
A questionable environmental record
The environmental impact of the project also raises serious questions. The massive replacement of old meters generated a significant amount of wastesome containing toxic components requiring special treatment. Manufacturing the new meters required the use of considerable resources, including rare metals and electronic components.
The Court of Auditors notes that the overall ecological balance of the project remains to be demonstrated, particularly in view of the limited lifespan of Linky meters, estimated at 15-20 years, compared to 60 years for old electromechanical meters.
- The deployment of Linky meters cost 5.7 billion euros, entirely financed by consumers via their bills
- The savings promised to households represent only 1% of their consumption, while Enedis makes substantial gains
- The environmental impact of the project is questionable, particularly due to the limited lifespan of the new meters
