As winter approaches, the energy situation becomes more tense in France. To avoid outages, the RTE network manager will enable load reductions from October 15 to avoid network saturation. Thus, between 12:00 and 2:00 p.m., Enedis will be able to “disconnect” the hot water storage tanks remotely, which “will save the equivalent of 2.5 GW at 12:30 p.m. and 1 GW at 1:00 p.m.”
The sometimes distorted ad circulated widely on social media, reminding us that Linky’s counters are always a source of fantasy. Compulsory and installed in almost all homes, the smart meter actually makes it possible to transmit information to Enedis, in order to optimize energy consumption.
Mandatory and voluntary
But what data is sent to Enedis? Specifically, Linky is governed by the regulations of the energy code on the use of personal data. As the National Commission for Informatics and Liberties (CNIL) reminds us, some data is sent to Enedis by default, and others require the consent of the subscriber.
The data collected by default is global daily consumption data, for billing purposes. On the other hand, the meter does not record the details of the consumption of each electrical device.
In the case of the hot water accumulator, the Enedis saving operation aims, in fact, to deactivate “the automatic switching signal for controlled electrical uses” between 12:00 and 14:00. In fact, and for most customers, the hot water tank is the only equipment associated with these controlled electrical uses. This allows Enedis to guide the operation by elimination, without having precise access to the operation of the water heater.
The CNIL as a guarantee
Fine consumption data may also be transmitted to Enedis only with the user’s consent. This is the consumption per hour. Again, they are transmitted with third parties only with the authorization of the user. This is the case, for example, if you use apps that accurately track your energy consumption. It is also very easy to deactivate the recording of your hourly consumption, by accessing this link.
On this subject, the CNIL keeps an eye on the grain: for example, it gave formal notice to Direct Energie (now TotalEnergies) in 2018 for collecting data without the consent of customers. In 2020, EDF and Engie were also singled out: if the two providers respected the consent request, “it was neither specific nor sufficiently informed”. Please note that it is possible to delete the registered data by accessing your secure Enedis account.
Finally, Enedis reminds that the Linky meter works through a cable communication mode. “It only travels through low-voltage power grid cables. It has nothing to do with radio frequencies, which are radio waves that propagate through the ambient air like Wi-Fi or FM radio.”
Source: BFM TV
