How the Linky meter takes control of your water heater – Le Figaro

By Richard FlurinPublished 1 hour ago, Updated 30 minutes agoThe energy savings allowed by the measure are not anecdotal: 2.5 GW at 12:30 p.m. and 1 GW at 1 p.m., according to Enedis. Le FigaroBy removing off-peak hours from midday to 2 p.m. to reduce electricity consumption, Enedis can block the power supply to certain electrical appliances. measure taken by Enedis at the request of the Ministry of Energy Transition with regard, in particular, to hot water tanks. The formulation according to which the maneuver consisted in cutting off the water heater of several million households through their Linky meter between noon and 2 p.m. aroused the ire of specialists. Le Figaro goes into detail on the ins and outs of the measure which, as specified on Tuesday, should prove to be perfectly painless. Let’s start by specifying that the measure only concerns households, businesses and communities that have subscribed to a lower power or equal to 36 kilovolt-amperes and who have chosen a so-called “peak hours/off-peak hours” subscription with their electricity supplier. It is precisely this “peak hours/off-peak hours” mechanism, which has already existed since the 1970s, which is actually at the heart of the measure decided by the public authorities. This type of contract consists of operating certain appliances via the electricity meter at times when demand on the electricity network is low – the so-called “off-peak” hours – in return for lower billing. This delayed control is carried out thanks to a “signal by electrical impulse which triggers in one direction or the other the remote switch on which the electrical device is connected”, explains Nicolas Goldberg, specialist in these questions. SEE ALSO – Crisis gas: how does Europe respond to this?Abolition of off-peak hours between noon and 2 p.m.The water heater is one of those controllable electrical appliances insofar as it works by accumulation: the water is heated then stored at in the balloon and therefore consumable later. In the same way, electric inertia or storage heaters, as well as certain household appliances (washing machine, dryer, dishwasher in particular), can be programmed by the user to operate at off-peak hours, when the demand for electricity on the network is low. See also Gas, electricity: the right things to do to reduce your energy consumption In many contracts, the so-called “off-peak” period takes place at night, from 8 p.m. . The measure taken by the government and put in place by Enedis simply consists of abolishing the off-peak hours between noon and 2 p.m., sometimes called “peak hours”. “Certain off-peak hours are not well placed. Typically, the 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. time slot is no longer relevant during off-peak hours because it is potentially a time of tension on the electricity network,” says Nicolas Goldberg. In short, consumption habits have changed and meridian off-peak hours are no longer really off-peak. See also Enedis, champion of electricity networks thanks to Linky to avoid the automatic triggering of devices such as the electric water heater during this time slot. “This measure will be almost transparent for the consumer,” recalls Nicolas Goldberg on LinkedIn. Same observation for the consumer association UFC-Que Choisir: “apart from large hot water needs in the middle of the day, the measure could go unnoticed”. In summary, the households concerned by the measure should not lack hot water, whatever the time of day and night. SEE ALSO – Energy: The Mayor against the “undue profit” of an annuity linked to crazy prices” Significant energy savingsAs already indicated, the “off-peak hours/peak hours” contracts existed before the deployment of the Linky meter. So why are only homes that are equipped with it affected? Because “Linky makes it possible to preserve the off-peak tariff while shifting the launch of the water heater”, explains Thierry Sudret, director of operations of Enedis. Without this option specific to the Linky meter, the measure would have been expensive for households: all of their appliances would have been considered as operating at peak hours and electricity bills would thus have increased. Moreover, the measure is in no way coercive. Everyone is allowed to deactivate the enslavement of their water heater to the “peak hours / off-peak hours” regime, but this has “no interest”, defends Nicolas Goldberg. As a reminder, the energy savings allowed by measurement are not anecdotal: 2.5 GW at 12:30 p.m. and 1 GW at 1 p.m., according to Enedis. This further limits the risk of power cuts during the peak which occurs daily between noon and 2 p.m. “The Linky meter is more than ever an essential tool in the service of more responsible electricity consumption”, insists the manager of the electricity network. SEE ALSO – Energy shortage: whose fault is it?