Linky meter: contrary to the promises announced, the electricity savings are ridiculous

© Enedis

The initial promises were tempting: better control of consumption, reduced bills and an easier energy transition. However, six years after the start of the massive deployment, the assessment drawn up by the Court of Auditors has the effect of a cold shower.

A colossal investment borne by consumers

The deployment of Linky meters represents a colossal investment of 5.7 billion euros. This astronomical sum did not come out of Enedis' coffers, but directly from consumers' pockets. The mechanism is simple, but perverse: the entire cost is passed on to the bill via the public electricity network usage tariff (TURPE). The latter represents approximately a third of the total electricity bill for households.

For each meter installed, the French pay an average of 130 euros. A substantial investment that should theoretically have been offset by the savings made thanks to the device's new features. The reality is quite different: consumers find themselves financing a project from which they do not see any benefits.

Almost non-existent energy savings

The finding is clear: the energy savings made thanks to the Linky meter barely reach 1% on average. A paltry figure that contrasts sharply with Enedis' initial promises. The company had praised the merits of its smart meter, which was supposed to allow consumers to better control their consumption thanks to real-time monitoring.

Danielle Rouault, a retiree, testifies to this disillusionment: “I don't see how it's possible that it's going to save me money, given that a device that consumes 2 kWh will still consume the same with the Linky or another meter”. Like her, many French people struggle to take advantage of the advanced features of the meter. This is due to a lack of information and a not very intuitive interface that discourages users.

A surprise beneficiary who is obviously not the consumer

While consumers are desperate to make their investment profitable, Enedis is doing well. The company is making substantial savings by eliminating physical readings and reducing maintenance costs. These gains, estimated at several hundred million euros per year, are not, however, reflected in consumers' bills.

The situation is all the more problematic since the Linky meter has a limited lifespan: 15 to 20 years compared to 60 years for the old electromechanical models.This planned obsolescence implies a more frequent renewal of the fleet, generating additional costs for users and a significant environmental impact.

The ecological balance sheet of the project also raises serious questions. The massive replacement of old meters generated a significant quantity of waste, some of which contained toxic components requiring special treatment. The manufacture of the new meters also required the use of considerable resources, including rare metals and electronic components.

Despite these black spots, the Court of Auditors report highlights some advantages: the reduction of fraud, the reduction of billing errors and the possibility of carrying out certain operations remotely. Benefits that seem very meager compared to the investment made by consumers.

• The deployment of Linky meters cost 5.7 billion euros, entirely financed by consumers
• Energy savings only reach 1% on average, far from the initial promises
• Enedis achieves significant savings thanks to the system, without passing them on to users' bills

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